Mission
:  Reducing unintentional
injuries in children ages 0-14 years in the
Central Shenandoah Valley
.

• 
  

  Unintentional injury is the
  leading cause of death in children ages 0-14 years
  
  
  

Injury
Prevention Efforts

Child
Safety Seats

• More
  than 614,500 child safety seats have been distributed by state and local
  SAFE KIDS coalitions to families in need since the Campaign’s launch. 
  
  
  
  

Bicycle
Helmets

• Nineteen
  states, the
  w:st="on">
  District of Columbia
  
  and numerous localities have enacted some form of mandatory bicycle helmet
  legislation since the Campaign’s launch
  
  .
  


• At
  least six states have enacted requirements for children to wear helmets
  while participating in other wheeled sports since the Campaign’s launch.

• More
  than 2.5 million bicycle helmets have been distributed by SAFE KIDS
  coalitions since the Campaign’s launch.

• Bicycle
  helmet use among children in the w:st="on">
  
  United States
  
  ranges from 15-25 percent, compared to 1 percent helmet usage when the
  Campaign launched its bicycle safety program in 1989.
  
  
  

Fire
and Burns

• More
  than 200,000 smoke alarms have been distributed by SAFE KIDS coalitions
  since the launch of the Campaign’s fire safety program in 1991.

• All
  national and regional code-making bodies have amended their plumbing code
  language to require anti-scald technology and maximum water heater
  temperature of 120 degrees Fahrenheit in all newly constructed residential
  units.
  
  
  

“Safe
Kids on the Move” Topics We Cover:
 

·        Fire Safety ·        Bike Safety ·        Car Safety ·        Pedestrian Safety ·        Water Safety ·        Playground Safety ·        Natural Disasters ·        Alcohol ·        Tobacco ·        Poison Safety ·        Infant Toddler Safety ·        Bullying/ Violence ·        Firearms Safety ·        Infant/Nursery Safety ·        Food Safety ·        Summer Safety

Facts
about w:st="on">

Rockingham
w:st="on">
County

• 2000 US Census figures showed that 9.2% of
  w:st="on">
  Harrisonburg
  
  residents were foreign born
  
  


• In 10 years, the Hispanic population has grown 416%
  
  


• In 2003, Harrisonburg City Schools enrollment in ESL
  classes is 30%, the highest in Virginia
  
  


• 18% of the children living in the city of
  Harrisonburg
  and 9% of the children living in
  w:st="on">
  Rockingham
  
  County
  
  live below the poverty level

Vehicle
Information

Most vehicle crashes occur near home
and can be violent even at lower speeds. Among other things,
w:st="on">
Virginia

laws regulate the use of child restraint devices, safety belts and the
transportation of children in the back of pickup trucks. The links below provide
details on some of these regulations.

 Child Restraint Device Law



Child restraint devices are required
for children through the age of five. These devices must be properly used and
meet standards adopted by the United States Department of Transportation.



The law applies to anyone (i.e. parents, grandparents, babysitters, friends) who
provides transportation for a child in any vehicle manufactured after Jan. 1,
1968. Public transportation (taxis, buses), regulation school buses, and farm
vehicles are exempted.



The child restraint device law is primary enforcement — no
other violation need be committed prior to ticketing for failure to have a child
in an approved seat.



Effective July 1, 2002: A $50 civil penalty fine is imposed for failure to
transport a child in a child restraint device. A $20 civil penalty fine is
assessed when persons transporting a child exempted from this law due to medical
reasons do not carry a written statement of this exemption.



All fines collected go into a special fund to purchase safety seats for
low-income families.



There are assistance programs for low-income residents who cannot afford a
safety seat. Contact Virginia Department of Health, Center for Injury and
Violence Prevention at (800) 732-8333 for more information.

To learn more about proper child safety
seat installation, please click on the link below.

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cps/contacts/index.cfm

 
Virginia's Passenger Safety Belt Law

Effective July 1, 2002:
Children from ages six through 15 must be belted correctly in vehicle safety
belts in vehicles manufactured after Jan. 1, 1968. Exemptions are taxicabs,
school buses, executive sedans and limousines.



This safety belt law is primary enforcement — no other
violation need be committed prior to ticketing for failure to have a child
correctly buckled up.



Effective July 1, 2002: A $50 civil penalty fine will be
imposed.



All fines collected go into a special fund to purchase safety seats for
low-income families.

Virginia's Pickup Truck Law

No child under the age of 16 shall be
transported in the rear cargo area of a pickup truck. There are exemptions for
certain parades and farming operations.

The National SAFE KIDS Campaign
has a catalog of resources — videos, brochures, magazines and other materials
that are an integral part of their unintentional childhood injury effort. Check
them out online.                                             

SAFE KIDS also encourages
pedestrian safety for

Virginia’s citizens. The
National Pedestrian Safety Campaign can provide information and a tool kit
to help promote a campaign in your area. And the Partnership for a Walkable
America sponsors Walk to School Day — a SAFE KIDS event — as well as
offering a variety of resources
and materials to make walkers everywhere more aware of safety concerns.

Children's
Medical Center, VCUHS

VCU Health
Injury Prevention Initiative

Virginia Poison
Center