Spot the Tot to Promote Safety In and Around Vehicles Aug. 14

8/10/2007

Wake County Human Services, in partnership with Safe Kids Wake County, will present "Spot the Tot" Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2007, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Wake County Human Services, 10 Sunnybrook Road, Raleigh.

Spot the Tot is a new initiative of Safe Kids Buckle Up, which has focused on promoting safety for children in and around cars for more than 10 years. The program covers several aspects of safety, including proper safety belt/booster seat usage, preventing trunk entrapment, teaching families to never leave a child alone in a vehicle, and how to prevent children from being injured or killed in driveways, parking lots and sidewalks.

An interactive display will be located in the first floor lobby of the Sunnybrook Building/Public Health Center, and a vehicle will be under a tent outside to physically demonstrate important Spot the Tot messages. English- and Spanish-speaking staff will be available throughout the day.

As part of the ongoing nationwide effort to keep kids safe, Safe Kids Wake County holds safety events throughout the year, including car seat safety checks.

"Spot the Tot" was born out of necessity with the increasing number of children reported as killed or injured around cars, and not just as passengers.

Almost 2,500 children per year ages 1-14 reported to emergency rooms with non-fatal motor vehicle back-over injuries in the United States from 2001-2003. During that same period, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on average 229 fatal injuries per year for children ages 1-14. Many of these injuries and deaths occurred at home or in driveways or parking lots.

Safe Kids Wake County works to prevent accidental childhood injury, the leading killer of children 14 and under. Safe Kids Wake County is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations dedicated to preventing accidental injury. Safe Kids Wake County was founded in 1996 and is led by WakeMed Health & Hospitals. The Safe Kids Buckle Up program was created in 1996 with support from General Motors.

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