U.S. Transportation Secretary Mineta Announces Grant To Indiana For Education on Child Passenger Safety

Topics:  Norman Y. Mineta

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
May 15, 2002

NHTSA 39-02
Wednesday, May 15, 2002
Contact: Faithia Robertson
Tel. No. (202) 366-9550

Travels to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Launch Of Indiana's "Click it or Ticket" Traffic Law Enforcement Program

INDIANAPOLIS--In conjunction with National Transportation Week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta today announced a grant of $160,320 to the state of Indiana to help implement child passenger protection programs designed to prevent deaths and injuries to children, educate the public concerning the proper installation of child restraints, and train child passenger safety personnel on proper child restraint use.

At a press conference at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Secretary Mineta was joined by Indiana Transportation Commissioner Bryan Nichol, Indiana State Police Superintendent Melvin Carraway, and the deputy administrator of the department's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Annette Sandberg, in launching Indiana's "Click it or Ticket" traffic law enforcement program, intended to help persuade motorists to buckle up and use child safety seats properly.

"President Bush is committed to policies that protect children from harm. They are our most vulnerable passengers, and this grant will help prevent injuries among children involved in crashes," Secretary Mineta said. "Child safety seats are the most effective safety devices in cars when used properly. They reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers in passenger cars."

NHTSA reports that approximately 20 to 25 percent of children ages 1 through 15 years old ride unrestrained, placing them at more than twice the risk of death and injury as those restrained. Motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths among children for every age from 4 to 14 years.

"About 80 percent of children who are placed in child safety seats are improperly restrained, and adult safety belts do not adequately protect children ages 4 to 8 from injury in a crash," Sandberg said. "Through grants like this one, the states will help parents do a better job of transporting their children safely."

The NHTSA grant announced today is authorized under a framework created by Section 2003(b) of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). With it Indiana may fund activities such as child safety seat checkpoints at safety events and during enforcement efforts; permanent fitting stations; loaner programs; education and information outreach to rural, low-income and minority communities; education and training activities targeted to reach children with special needs; educational outreach to elementary and secondary schools; promotion of child passenger training; and training and education for judges to promote enforcement.

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