NHTSA campaigns for child safety materials

       The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA, pronounced "NITS-uh") is an agency of the Executive Branch of the U.S. government, part of the Department of Transportation. It describes its mission as "Save lives, prevent injuries, reduce vehicle-related crashes."

       As part of its activities, NHTSA is charged with writing and enforcing Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards as well as regulations for motor vehicle theft resistance and fuel economy, as part of the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) system. NHTSA also licenses vehicle manufacturers and importers, allows or blocks the import of vehicles and safety-regulated vehicle parts, administers the vehicle identification number (VIN) system, develops the anthropomorphic dummies used in safety testing, as well as the test protocols themselves, and provides vehicle insurance cost information. The agency has asserted preemptive regulatory authority over greenhouse gas emissions, but this has been disputed by such state regulatory agencies as the California Air Resources Board.

       Another of NHTSA's major activities is the creation and maintenance of the data files maintained by the National Center for Statistics and Analysis. In particular, the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), has become a resource for traffic safety research not only in the United States, but throughout the world. Research contributions using FARS by researchers from many countries appear in many non-U.S. technical publications, and provide a significant database and knowledge bank on the subject. Even with this database, conclusive analysis of crash causes often remains difficult and controversial, with experts debating the veracity and statistical validity of results.

• National Highway Traffic Safety Adminitration official website
• 49 CFR Chapter V (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration)
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the Federal Register
• safercar.gov for official ratings, tips, and recalls
• Regulations regarding vehicle importation into the U.S.
• UNECE vehicle safety regulations
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at the Wayback Machine (archived January 16, 2000)
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration at the Wayback Machine (archived November 12, 1996)

The Safety Dummies from the 1990's

       The following resources were produced for the 1991 awareness campaign for seat buckle safety by the United States NHTSA. Teachers may download and print the materials to use for lesson planning in their classrooms only.

Vince and Larry say: "Buckle up, someone cares." coloring page.

Buckle Up Helper Award from the NHTSA.

1991 Safety Seat Checklist.

 

Buckle Up Kids!

       Children present significant challenges in engineering and producing safe vehicles, because most children are significantly smaller and lighter than most adults. Additionally, children far from being just scaled down adults, still have an undeveloped skeletal system. This means that vehicle restraint systems such as airbags and seat belts, far from being effective, are hazardous if used to restrain young children. In recognition of this, many medical professionals and jurisdictions recommend or require that children under a particular age, height, and/or weight ride in a child seat and/or in the back seat, as applicable.

       Within Europe ECE Regulation R44 dictates that children below 150 cm must travel in a child restraint that is appropriate for their weight. Each country have their own adaptions of this Regulation. For instance, in the United Kingdom, children must travel in a child restraint until they are 135 cm tall or reach 12 years of age, which ever comes soonest. As another example in Austria the driver of passenger vehicles is responsible for people shorter than 150 cm and below 14 years to be seated in an adequate child safety seat. Moreover, it is not allowed for children below the age of 3 to ride in a passenger vehicle without "security system" (which in practice means the vehicle is not equipped with any seat belts or technical systems like Isofix), whereas children between 3 and 14 years have to ride in the back seat.

       Sweden specify that a child or an adult shorter than 140 cm is legally forbidden to ride in a place with an active airbag in front of it.

      The majority of medical professionals and biomechanical engineers agree that children below the age of two year old are much safer if they travel in a rearward facing child restraint.

       Child safety locks and driver-controlled power window lockout controls prevent children from opening doors and windows from inside the vehicle. 

Music at YouTube To Teach Little Ones, "Buckle Up!":

• Do The Buckle Up
• Buckle UP and be safe song for kids

Visit And Read More About Transportation Safety:

• Buckle Up, America
• Safe Ride 4 Kids

D.A.R.E. for Kids

       D.A.R.E. Primary is a life skills and drug education program for 9-11-year-olds. The course, consisting of 10 one-hour sessions, aims to provide children with knowledge, skills, and an opportunity to explore attitudes, to help them to make informed decisions, and to develop safe and healthy lifestyles. Topics covered include, tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, volatile substances, bullying, anti-social behavior, and different types of pressure. Children look at normative beliefs about alcohol and tobacco. The sessions are interactive and provide a range of learning opportunities through individual activities, teamwork, discussions, storyboards, and appropriate role play. DARE Primary can be delivered by:

• DARE Officer (Serving or former Police Officer, Police Community Support Officer, or School Officer--- a school liaison officer)
• Teacher and DARE Officer where the Officer attends every other week (called 50/50). It also becomes part of the Health Unit in most schools.
• Teacher delivered (Teachers receive training from DARE)

       Each pupil is provided with a DARE workbook for use during the course. DARE Officers and Teachers (where the Teacher delivered option is chosen) are provided with session guides. An important part of the program is the graduation ceremony which is an opportunity for families and schools to celebrate the children's achievements.

• D.A.R.E. program director in Crestwood Missouri
• Drug Abuse Resistance Education home page
• DARE World
• How to Start a DARE Program in your Community
• International Association of Chiefs of Police, IACP
• 2003 U.S. General Accounting Office letter to Senator Richard J. Durbin
• A Different Look at D.A.R.E.
• UK website
• Training Center Minas Gerais / D.A.R.E. Brazil (PROERD)
• D.A.R.E. Brazil (PROERD)
• Official Keepin' It Real website
• ASU's official Keepin' it REAL website