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Project
Characteristics |
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Collaborative
Innovative
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Program
Areas |
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Occupant
Protection
Multicultural Outreach
Youth Programs |
Type of Jurisdiction |
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Nine Cities |
Targeted
Population |
Hispanic children under age 8
Child Care Providers Preschool Centers |
Jurisdiction
Size |
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Ranging from 6,000 - 300,000
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Funding |
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2003b: $270,000 total
($30k each city)
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Contact |
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Ed O'Connor
Regional
Supervisor
Division of Hwy Traffic Safety
140 E. Front St., 7th Floor
Trenton, NJ 08625
(609) 633-9048
edward.oconnor@lps.state.nj.us
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Digest
Listing
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NEW JERSEY
Partnering for Safety -
Latino Child Care Project
(PDF Version)
PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has determined that infant
seats are 71 percent effective in reducing serious injury or death, and
toddler seats (20-40 pounds, forward-facing) are 59 percent effective. These
effectiveness levels can only be achieved through proper use of the child
restraint. At voluntary inspection stations all over the country, child
passenger safety technicians continue to identify rates in excess of 90
percent for improper use. However, the overwhelming majority of these
inspection events are not held in the inner cities and do not serve the
non-English speaking communities.
Historically, the message of traffic safety and injury prevention has not
reached these communities. This is due to several factors: inadequate
translations of informational brochures from traffic safety organizations,
distrust of government agencies, particularly police, and a misunderstanding
of the importance of restraint use and vehicle crash dynamics.
Clearly, a new approach to the problem is needed. The New Jersey Division of
Highway Traffic Safety (NJDHTS) has partnered with the Center for Hispanic
Policy, Research and Development (CHPRD) to seek new ways to provide child
passenger safety for ethnically diverse communities.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The Partnering for Safety – Latino Child Care
Project’s goal is to encourage community-based child care and pre-school
centers to develop a public education program to address compliance for
child restraints and seat belts for children in the Latino community.
The objectives were to:
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Educate at
least 200 people on the importance of occupant protection;
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Develop an
understanding of occupant protection issues within the community;
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Determine
how factors such as lack of information in the correct language, economic
level, and parental and caregiver training affect compliance; and
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Develop a
community-based approach to traffic safety education.
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
The child care and pre-school centers that
participated in the Partnering for Safety – Latino Child Care Project
implemented the following strategies and activities:
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Targeted
nine inner-city locations with a high concentration of non-English
speaking people.
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Assigned a
project director to be trained in the 32-hour NHTSA Standardized Child
Passenger Safety curriculum.
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Conducted
a pre-survey (prepared by NJDHTS) to determine overall awareness and
understanding of basic occupant protection principles.
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Worked
with the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety to
educate
parents and teachers on how to use infant and child safety seat restraints, provided safety seats when appropriate,
and encouraged creative and successful ways to promote the issue within
the Latino community.
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Held
community or family meetings and short educational events with
refreshments and prizes to promote attendance.
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Provided
child seats to participants for a discounted price ($5-10) rather than
free of charge; this showed commitment by parents and placed a value on
the child seat.
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Conducted
a post-survey (prepared by NJDHTS) to determine if the level of
understanding has increased.
RESULTS
The Partnering for Safety – Latino Child Care
Project achieved the following results in the 2004 fiscal year:
-
Held 42
events and educated 1200 individuals.
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Provided
child seats at a discounted price ($5-10).
-
Involved
teens (through Aspira, a teen peer organization) by having them develop
English and Spanish language safety videos and public service
announcements (PSAs).
The next step is to see how these programs can affect
the overall seat belt compliance rate in these locations.
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