TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY SLATER JOINS WITH FLORIDA HIGHWAY PATROL IN PROMOTING CHILD SAFETY SEAT USE

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
June 9, 1997

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, June 9, 1997
NHTSA 37-97
Contact: Tim Hurd
Tel. No. (202) 366-9550

ORLANDO, Fla. -- In keeping with President Clinton's goal to reduce the number of traffic fatalities among children and increase seat belt use nationwide, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater today joined members of the Florida Highway Patrol at the KinderCare Learning Center in Walt Disney World Village to demonstrate the proper use of child safety seats and encourage parents to place children under 12 in the back seat.

"The safest place for children under 12 is buckled up in the back seat," Secretary Slater said. "And, if properly installed, child safety seats are exceptionally effective in protecting small children from fatal injury in traffic crashes. That is why law enforcement officers across the nation, like the members of the Florida Highway Patrol and others here today, are teaching parents the right way to install child safety seats."

According to the department's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) more than 1,800 children under 15 years old die in traffic crashes each year.

Properly installed child safety seats are about 71 percent effective in preventing fatal injury to children during crashes, but there is about 80 percent misuse. If child safety seat use were 100 percent for children under five, an estimated 532 lives would have been saved in 1995, NHTSA Administrator Ricardo Martinez, M.D., said.

President Clinton this spring embraced goals to reduce the number of child fatalities in traffic crashes 15 percent by the year 2000 and 25 percent by 2005, and to increase seat belt use to 85 percent by the year 2000. The department has developed a national strategy to achieve those goals through a four-point plan:

Embrace active, high visibility law enforcement of seat belt laws;

Ask the states to enact strong legislation for standard seat belt laws and strengthened child passenger safety laws;

Expand well-coordinated, effective public education programs; and

Build public-private partnerships to help America reach its potential of saving lives and preventing injuries through the use of seat belts and child safety seats.

The Crittenden Automotive Library

Home - About Us - Advertising

Any trademarks or service marks appear here in nominative use and are property of their respective owners, who are not affiliated with or in any way endorse The Crittenden Automotive Library. View our Legal Information: Disclaimers & Terms of Use

Due to the enormous volume of information available most of the lists on the site are works in progress. They are great for seeing what information or products are available or what events have happened but the absence of information or a line item on a list should not be interpreted that something did not exist or did not happen. It probably just means we haven't gotten around to adding it yet.

Unless otherwise noted, photo captions are from the photographer or source, and not from The Crittenden Automotive Library.

To notify The Crittenden Automotive Library of errors, suggest topics, contribute information or to ask a question e-mail us.