VEHICLE SAFETY

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VEHICLE SAFETY

• INFORMATION AND PREVENTION

July 2008
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Training Objectives

• Recognize the dangers and causes of vehicle
  crashes.
• Recognize the importance of wearing seat belts
  and using child safety seats.
• Identify tips to keep young drivers safe.
• Recognize the importance of not driving while
  drunk.

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Motor Vehicle Fatalities

• In the United States, motor vehicle crashes are
  the leading cause of injury death for children
  and adults and the second leading cause of injury
  death for children ages birth to one.
• Motor vehicle fatalities include drivers and
  passengers of motor vehicles, pedestrians who are
  struck by motor vehicles, bicyclists and
  occupants in any other form of transportation,
  including all-terrain vehicles.

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• According to the National Highway Traffic Safety
  Administration (NHTSA), every day in the United
  States, an average of 5 children age 14 and
  younger were killed, and 568 were injured in
  motor vehicle crashes during 2006.
• In the 14 and under age group, males accounted
  for 55 percent of the fatalities and 49 percent
  of those injured in motor vehicle crashes during
  2006.

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Crashes Involving No Restraints

• According to the NHTSA, 6,983 passenger vehicle
  occupants age 14 and younger were involved in
  fatal crashes in 2006. For those children where
  restraint use was known, 25 percent were
  unrestrained among those who were fatally
  injured, 45 percent were unrestrained.

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• In 2006, there were 452 passenger vehicle
  occupant fatalities among children under 5 years
  of age. Of those 452 fatalities, where restraint
  use was known (427), 149 (35) were totally
  unrestrained.
• 
  (NHTSA)

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Crashes Involving Pedestrians and Cyclists

• According to the NHTSA, there were a total of
  4,784 pedestrian fatalities in 2006. The 14 and
  under age group accounted for 331 (7) of those
  fatalities. Almost one fifth (18) of the
  traffic fatalities in the 14 and under age group
  were pedestrians.
• A total of 773 pedal-cyclists were killed in
  motor vehicle crashes in 2006. The 14 and under
  age group accounted for 13 percent (98) of those
  fatalities.

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Alcohol-Related Crashes

• According to the NHTSA, there were 419 (23)
  fatalities among children age 14 and younger in
  crashes involving alcohol in 2006. Of those 419
  fatalities, 202 were passengers in vehicles with
  drivers who had been drinking with blood alcohol
  concentration (BAC) levels of .01 gram per
  deciliter (g/dL) or higher.

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• An additional 108 children were killed as
  passengers in vehicles with drivers who had not
  been drinking. Another 62 children age 14 and
  younger, who were killed in traffic crashes in
  2006, were pedestrians or pedal-cyclists who were
  struck by drinking drivers (BAC .01 g/dL or
  higher).

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Missouri Motor Vehicle Fatalities

• Of the 133 motor vehicle deaths among Missouri
  children in 2006, 107 were reported to the Child
  Fatality Review Program (CFRP) 93 (90) of those
  were reviewed by a local CFRP panel.
• Of those, two motor vehicle fatalities were
  determined to be Homicides.

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Restraint Safety

• Many children and adults die every year due to
  not wearing seatbelts or not being properly
  restrained in a car seat.
• According to NHTSA, seat belt usage in Missouri,
  in 2007, was 77.2. Nationwide, seatbelt use was
  82.

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• Research has shown that lap/shoulder seatbelts,
  when used, reduce the risk of fatal injury to
  front seat occupants (age 5 and older) of
  passenger cars by 45 percent, and the risk of
  moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent. For
  light-truck occupants, seatbelts reduce the risk
  of fatal injury by 60 percent and the risk of
  moderate-to-critical injury by 65 percent.
  
• 
  (NHTSA)

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• Research on the effectiveness of child safety
  seats has found them to reduce fatal injury by 71
  percent for infants (less than 1 year old) and by
  54 percent for toddlers (1-4 years old) in
  passenger cars. For infants and toddlers in
  light trucks, the corresponding reductions are 58
  percent and 59 percent, respectively.
• 
  (NHTSA)

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• Among children under age 5, an estimated 425
  lives were saved in 2006, by child restraint use.
  Of these 425 lives saved, 392 were associated
  with the use of child safety seats and 32 with
  the use of adult seatbelts.
• If there had been 100 percent child safety seat
  use for children under age 5, an estimated 518
  lives (that is, an additional 98) could have been
  saved in 2005.
• 
  (NHTSA)

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How to Wear a Safety Belt

• According to the Missouri Department of
  Transportation (MODOT), seatbelts must be worn
  correctly to be effective.
• The lap belt should be worn low and snug across
  the hips. The shoulder belt should be placed
  over the shoulder and across the chest. Safety
  belts that ride up against your stomach or across
  your neck (instead of your shoulder), may not
  protect you in a crash. Never place the shoulder
  belt under your arm or behind your back this
  could result in serious or fatal injury.

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• Pregnant women should always wear safety belts
  with the lap belt as low as possible across the
  hips throughout pregnancy.
• Safety belts can be dangerous for small children.
  Safety belts that are in the wrong position may
  hurt a child in a crash, or they may not hold
  them in the vehicle seat. Young children should
  be placed in the appropriate child safety seat
  until they are over 4 feet 9 inches tall and have
  outgrown the limits of their safety seat.
• The NTHSA recommends that children 12 and under
  ride in the back seat. That's the safest place.

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Air Bag Safety

• Safety belts should be worn in combination with
  air bag systems. They keep your body in the
  safest position so an air bag can do its job.
• Drivers with air bags should keep at least a
  10-inch distance between the air bag and their
  breast bone.

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• A tilt steering wheel should be tilted down so
  the air bag will deploy toward the chest and not
  the head.
• Never place a rear-facing infant seat in front of
  a passenger side air bag.
• (Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety)

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Child Safety Seats

• According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol
  (MSHP), the worst possible place for a child to
  ride is in the arms of an adult. An unrestrained
  adult can crush a child against the dashboard.
• The safest place for a child under 12 years of
  age, is to be secured in the back seat.

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• A rear-facing infant seat should not be used in a
  front passenger seat equipped with an air bag.
  The air bag could hit the back of the safety seat
  and could seriously injure the babys head and
  brain.
• A child safety seat holds on to a child in a
  crash and keeps them from hitting dangerous
  objects or from being thrown from the vehicle.

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Types of Child Safety Seats

• An infant seat is designed for children up to 20
  pounds. It should be placed rear-facing in the
  back seat.
• Convertible seats are for children up to 40
  pounds. They face rearward in the infant
  position, and convert to sit upright and face
  forward for toddler position.

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• Booster seats are for children who have outgrown
  other safety seats and can be used with an adult
  lap belt and shoulder belt.
• Lap/shoulder belts should be used for children
  age eight or older, or who weigh 80 pounds or
  more. The lap belt should stay low and snug
  across the hips without riding up over the
  stomach, and the shoulder belt does not cross the
  face or front of the neck.
• 
  (MSHP)

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Fatalities Among Missouri Teens

• The Missouri State Highway Patrol reports that in
  2006, there were 215 fatal crashes in Missouri
  that involved drivers under the age of 21.
• In Missouri in 2006, there were 11,864 personal
  injury crashes involving drivers under the age of
  21.

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Fatalities Among U.S. Teens

• According to the Centers for Disease Control
  (CDC), motor vehicle crashes are the leading
  cause of death for U.S. teens, accounting for 36
  of all deaths in this age group (2006).
• In the U.S. during 2004, 4,767 teens ages 16 to
  19 died of injuries caused by motor vehicle
  crashes.

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Reasons Teens Have Vehicle Crashes

• According to the Missouri Department of
  Transportation (MODOT), there are three reasons
  why young drivers are involved in vehicle
  crashes.
• The first is inexperience. Many young drivers
  lack the judgment and technical ability of older,
  more experienced drivers.

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• Young drivers are more apt to take risks. This
  impulsiveness can result in poor driving
  judgment.
• Many teens drive at night with other teens in
  their vehicles. They are often distracted by
  their friends. During night driving, reaction
  time is slower, since the driver can only see as
  far as the headlights allow. This combination
  often leads to crashes.

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Safety Tips for Young Drivers

• MODOT suggests the following safety tips for
  young drivers
• Wear your safety belt.
• One reason some young drivers have accidents, is
  because they are distracted. Here are some tips
  from MODOT
• Pull off of the road to find a safe place to talk
  on the cell phone or look for items in the
  vehicle.
• Program radio stations or make CD selections,
  before you get on the road.

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• Do not let others ride with you, if they distract
  you.
• Never read while you are driving.
• Plan your trip and get directions to your
  destination before you leave.
• Do not put on makeup, shave or eat while driving.

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• Obey the speed limit. Speeding is a major cause
  of traffic accidents. These are some things to
  keep in mind
• Always drive at a safe speed. The speed limit is
  the maximum speed allowed under normal
  conditions. When adjusting speed, take into
  account driving ability, the capability of your
  vehicle, the roadway and weather conditions.

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• Slow down in rain, fog, snow and ice, and keep at
  least twice the normal stopping distance between
  you and vehicle in front of you.
• Slow down when approaching curves, intersections,
  downhill grades, heavy traffic and work zones.

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• Many traffic crashes occur because people do not
  stay on their side of the roadway or they make
  turns incorrectly. Here are some tips
• Make sure you are in a legal passing zone before
  passing another vehicle. It is illegal to pass
  on the right or the shoulder of the roadway.
• Use turn signals about 100 feet before the turn
  or intersection and when changing lanes.

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• Make sure your vehicle is in the proper lane for
  turning. Do not cross over into another lane of
  traffic.
• Slow down appropriately (or stop, if required)
  before making a turn.
• Pay attention to your lane position, keeping your
  vehicle in the center of your lane.
• Do not pass on hills, curves or at intersections.
  

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Alcohol and Vehicle Crashes

• Alcohol-related motor vehicle crashes kill
  someone every 31 minutes and non-fatally injures
  someone every two minutes.
• (NHTSA, 2006)
• Nearly 1.4 million drivers were arrested for
  driving under the influence of alcohol or
  narcotics in 2005.
• (Department of Justice,
  2005)

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Alcohol and Young Drivers

• It is illegal for anyone under 21 to purchase,
  possess or consume ANY amount of alcohol in ANY
  situation. Under Missouri's Zero Tolerance law, a
  teens license will be suspended if they're
  caught driving with even a trace of alcohol in
  their system - that means less than one drink can
  put them over the limit.
• MODOT offers these tips to young drivers

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• Whatever you do, DO NOT attempt to drive yourself
  home, even if you think you're okay.
• Ask a friend who hasn't had any alcohol to give
  you a ride. A designated driver is the person
  who has had NO alcohol.
• If you and all your friends have been drinking,
  call a parent, older sibling or even a cab.
  Everyone will be glad you chose the safe way
  home.

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• If you've been drinking at a friend's house,
  staying where you are is always safer than
  gambling with your own life and the lives of
  others.
• See a friend stumbling to their car? Get their
  keys and find them a safe way home. You could be
  saving their life, or someone elses.

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Stopping A Friend From Driving Drunk

• The NHTSA and the Advertising Council's Innocent
  Victims public service campaign emphasizes the
  need to intervene and get the keys away from
  someone about to drive drunk.
• The following tips are from this campaign

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• If it is a close friend, try and use a soft, calm
  approach at first. Suggest to them that they've
  had too much to drink and it would be better if
  someone else drove or if they took a cab.
• Be calm. Joke about it. Make light of it.
• Try to make it sound like you are doing them a
  favor.
• If it is somebody you don't know well, speak to
  their friends and have them make an attempt to
  persuade them to hand over the keys. Usually
  they will listen.

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• If it's a good friend, spouse or significant
  other, tell them that if they insist on driving,
  you are not going with them. Suggest that you
  will call someone else for a ride, take a cab or
  walk.
• Locate their keys while they are preoccupied and
  take them away. Most likely, they will think
  they've lost them and will be forced to find
  another mode of transportation.
• If possible, avoid embarrassing the person or
  being confrontational, particularly when dealing
  with men. This makes them appear vulnerable to
  alcohol and its effects.

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For More Information, Visit These Websites

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC),
  http//www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/teenmvh.htm
• Missouri Department of Transportation,
  http//www.modot.mo.gov/safety/index.htm
• Missouri State Highway Patrol, http//www.mshp.dps
  .mo.gov/MSHPWeb/Publications/Brochures/documents/S
  HP-740.pdf

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• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration,
  http//www.nhtsa.dot.gov/ http//www.nhtsa.gov/
  portal/site/nhtsa/menuitem.9f8c7d6359e0e9bbbf30811
  060008a0c/ http//www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/injur
  y/alcohol/innocent/index.html
• Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety,
  http//www.savemolives.com/

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Missouri Department of Social Services State
Technical Assistance Team

• Address
• PO Box 208Jefferson City, MO 65102-0208
• Telephone [phone](800) 487-1626(8 a.m.
  to 5 p.m. CST, Monday Friday)
• Email
•  dls.stat_at_dss.mo.gov