Safe Kids Worldwide and AAA Auto Club Group Foundation recently awarded the Injury and Trauma Prevention program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt funds to advance equity in child passenger and bike safety.
The funding will be used to purchase car seats, boosters and bike helmets.
“This will allow us to give car seats and helmets directly to the people in our community who are not using them,” said Stacey Pecenka, MPH, CPH, manager of the Trauma Injury Prevention Program at Monroe Carell. “It will make a huge impact on our ability to give out car seats and booster seats at events.
“This goes a long way in providing safety resources to our families, especially those in high-risk communities.”
Safe Kids and AAA formed a partnership to advance equity in child passenger and bike safety with a goal of educating families, as well as providing car seats, booster seats and bike helmets to those who may not have access to them.
Pecenka said the top priority is ensuring the safety of children from preventable injuries.
According to Safety Kids Worldwide:
- Road injuries are the leading cause of preventable deaths and injuries to children in the United States.
- Correctly used child safety seats can reduce the risk of death by as much as 71%.
- More than half of car seats are not used or installed correctly.
- Properly fitted helmets can reduce the risk of head injuries by at least 45%.
- Less than half of children 14 and under usually wear a bike helmet.