More kids travel safely in Montgomery County, Md.

Improper use of child safety seats and failure to use them are a major problem in transportation today. Montgomery County, Md. is attacking this problem head-on and with great success.

Nationally, injuries from motor vehicle crashes kill more children than any other type of injury, accounting for 37 percent of all injury-related deaths in children and teenagers. However, many childhood motor vehicle-related deaths and hospitalizations are preventable through the correct use of child safety seats. When installed and used correctly, child safety seats are extremely effective, reducing the risk of death and serious injury by 70 percent.

The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that in 1989, the use of safety seats prevented nearly 200 deaths and 56,000 injuries annually. Nonetheless, child safety seat and safety belt misuse have become serious problems that have undermined their potential safety benefits.

Surveys indicate that up to 80 percent of child safety seats are misused and 20 percent are severely misused.

Further, low-income children are at greatest risk of suffering an unintentional injury due to a motor vehicle crash. Sixty percent of child occupants ages 0-4 who are Medicaid recipients travel unrestrained, yet only 11 percent of other children ages 0-4 are similarly endangered. Lack of access to appropriate information and financial constraints contribute to the increased risk of children from economically disadvantaged families.

To address the issue in Montgomery County, Md., the U.S. Public Health Service, the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services, the Montgomery County Department of Fire and Rescue, and Montgomery County Safe Kids Coalition jointly established "Buckle Up Kids."

Originally started as a one-year pilot program with the goal of reducing childhood motor vehicle occupant morbidity and mortality, "Buckle Up Kids" strives to increase public awareness about child safety seat issues and has provided low-income families with the ability to obtain and properly use child safety seats.

Since its inception in November 1995, "Buckle Up Kids" has successfully reached more than 300 needy families in Montgomery County, Md. providing them not only with access to child safety seats, but also education on their proper use.

By adopting a collaborative approach to addressing motor vehicle safety, "Buckle Up Kids" has combined the strengths and resources of the participating agencies. Employees from each organization assumed additional duties as a part of their responsibilities. Administrative tasks were shared by both a fire safety educator and a community health nurse, at no added expense to their agencies. Initial funding for the "Buckle Up Kids" Project was provided in the form of two small grants made available by the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee in Montgomery County. Because the program was established under the Safe Kids Coalition, "Buckle Up Kids" became eligible for 150 free safety seats from a settlement between General Motors and the U.S. Department of Transportation. All other safety seats distributed by the pilot program were purchased by grant money or were donated to the "Buckle Up Kids" free of charge. Thus, aside from the grant money allocated to purchase child safety seats, the "Buckle Up Kids" Program has not incurred additional administrative costs to Montgomery County or the state of Maryland.

In its first year, "Buckle Up Kids" successfully distributed 244 safety seats to needy families in Montgomery County, Md. Since then, the program has received $9,500 in grant funding from the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to purchase child safety seats that will be distributed throughout 1997. Presently, the "Buckle Up Kids" Program has expanded its role by offering child safety seat checks, at malls and community events, to help insure correct installation.

"Buckle Up Kids" addresses the major cause of childhood injury by providing a proven intervention (safety seats) to the population most at risk. Soon after its inception in 1995, the "Buckle Up Kids" Program evolved beyond its pilot stages into a free-standing program that could be replicated in other cities and counties across the country. The combined strengths of two distinct county departments and the Safe Kids Coalition not only has made this program unique, it has made it successful. This cooperative effort has allowed the workload to be shared and has kept tasks manageable for staff. Most importantly, this approach has allowed the "Buckle Up Kids" Program to flourish without additional county dollars and while meeting the needs of county residents.

(For more information on the Buckle Up Kids Program, contact Kathy Woods at the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services at 301/217-7269.)