Keeping Kids Safe in and Around Motor Vehicles

Transcription

1 Keeping Kids Safe in and Around Motor Vehicles KidsAndCars.org T.R.U.N.C. Injury Prevention Through the Lifecycle National Conference of State Legislatures May 14, 2009 Atlanta, GA

2 What happened to our baby boy?

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4 Identify the solution(s)

5 October 17, 2000 U.S. Transportation Secretary Slater announces standard that requires all cars with trunks to have an internal trunk release. Requirement effective September 1, 2001

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7 KidsAndCars.org is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to pursuing a greater level of public safety by addressing vehicle related nontraffic incidents that lead to injury or death to children.

8 Parked Cars are Dangerous!! Nontraffic (noncrash) events: Any motor vehicle incident which occurs entirely in any place other than a public road or highway. These include events occurring in driveways, parking lots, and other off-road locations.

9 KidsAndCars.org Mission Data Collection Education Policy (laws & regulation) Product redesign (engineering) Survivor Advocacy

10 Appeared in the Washington Post, March 16, 2004 Pushing to Close Gaps in Compiling Vehicular Deaths

11 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Injuries and Deaths Among Children Left Unattended In or Around Motor Vehicles United States, July 2000 June 2001 MMWR July 5, every year 176 children every week

12 One of the Saddest Databases in America Fatal Distraction, The Washington Post, March 8, 2009

13 Backovers 41.6% Frontovers 22.5% Heat stroke 18.4% Vehicle Set In Motion 6.1% Underage Driver 3.8% Fire 1.0% Power Window 1.8% Strangulation Other 4.8%

14 Not in Traffic Surveillance NiTS 1,747 fatalities 841,000 injuries Based on 2007 NHTSA NiTS data

15 EDUCATION

16 TV & Radio PSAs are available!!! EDUCATION

17 LEGISLATION KidsAndCars.org works to enact legislation that would help to reduce or eliminate injuries and deaths

18 *Education and data collection provisions The Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act *Establish a performance standard for rearward visibility *Study Requirement for auto-reverse for power windows *Vehicles cannot be put into gear unless brake is applied

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20 Require automakers to install seat belt sensors for all seating positions: Driver knows everyone is buckled up Alerts driver when someone unbuckles 40-60% of children who die in Once sensors crashes are required are not in buckled all seating positions. driver could be alerted if someone was left inside the vehicle We look forward to working with you on this important life-saving strategy!!

21 States with laws - 15

22 States that have proposed but not passed laws Arizona Georgia Iowa Kansas Kentucky* Minnesota *Has a law that applies if the child Missouri* Mississippi New Jersey New York Rhode Island Virginia

23 PRODUCT REDESIGN Providing a safer environment is one of the MOST effective

24 Seven Minutes of Nursery School Behavior We will not be reengineering children anytime soon; but we CAN make our vehicles safer for children

25 To err is human; but to forgive is design

26 Our real heroes SURVIVOR ADVOCACY

27 Children are possibly in more danger outside of a vehicle than inside a vehicle (similar to school buses & pedestrians)

28 Children backed over Driver unable to see child A child age months follows a parent (or close relative) out of the house when leaving. Driver backs parked vehicle out of the driveway. Unaware that the child has left the house and unable to see the child behind the vehicle, the driver runs over the child, causing severe or fatal injuries. The bye-bye syndrome

29 February 18, 2005 Nonfatal Motor-Vehicle--Related Backover Injuries Among Children --- United States, children are being treated every WEEK in hospital emergency rooms

30 Accurately Defining the Terms Blind Spot and Blind Zone Blind Spot - area you cannot see when changing lanes Blind Zone -large area behind a vehicle. Average vehicle blind zone measures approx. 7-8 feet wide and feet long. An area of that dimension is certainly not a spot and is therefore more accurately described as a blind zone.

31 Before you turn the key make sure you can SEE

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34 Children are inadvertently left alone in hot vehicles

35 failures of memory, not of love Janette Fennell, Fatal Distraction, Washington Post Magazine, March 8, 2009

36 Children Fatally Injured by Passenger side Airbags verses Heat Related Deaths Number of Deaths Year Airbag deaths (NHTSA data) Heat deaths (Kids And Cars data)

37 Technology could help to prevent heat-related

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39 Power Window Switches Horizontal rocker switches RISKY DESIGN Toggle switches SAFER Lever SUCCESS!!!!!!! 2009 Model Year

40 Power window switches are safer now but we still need to have windows that automatically reverse.. sometimes the person raising the window may not know someone else has their fingers, hands, etc. in the path of the window glass..

41 Janette E. Fennell rg (913)

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