Every ride a safe ride

By Bill King, Division Director, UAB School of Medicine | February 7, 2005 | The Post | Cherokee County, AL

Our motto at Alabama Safe Kids is "every ride, a safe ride." A new report just released shows a decline in child restraint usage in 2004. Only 83 percent of drivers last year had or used a child safety seat properly in their car. That's a four percent drop from 2003 and nowhere near our record number of 89 percent in 2002. This decline concerns us a great deal and demands serious reflection.

On the positive side, we are still firmly within a record range of high child restraint usage. On the negative side, the usage rate is going the wrong way. We fear we're losing ground we worked so hard to gain, and as a consequence, injuries and deaths may increase.

We need to re-commit to passenger safety, which begins with passing a model child-restraint law in Alabama. We need the passage of this important law in Alabama during 2005. This is important for our children.

We also must re-commit to law enforcement and support special seat belt and child restraint enforcement programs. Research shows that each dollar spent on a child safety seat saves $32 in medical spending, and each dollar spent on reducing misuse of child safety seats saves $78.

Finally, parents and child care givers must re-commit to the consistent and correct use of child restraints for every ride. Every trip in the car, even those short rides within a few miles of your home, carries a risk. Ensure every ride is a safe one for your family. It helps to be a good example as well, so buckle up parents.

Investment in child passenger safety is an investment in our children and our future. If we re-commit to enforcement, legislation, education and service, we will ascend to the next level of usage, 90 percent and higher. Let's move forward in 2005.

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