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REMARKS FOR
THE HONORABLE NORMAN Y. MINETA
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION
CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY WEEK (CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL)
PHILADELPHIA, PA
FEBRUARY 13, 2006
10:15 AM
Good Morning. Thank you, Dr. Johnson, for that kind introduction.
And thank you to Children’s Hospital for hosting the kick-off of Child Passenger Safety Week. The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is a member of the Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN), which is a collaboration of clinicians and engineers in academia, industry, and government pursuing in-depth studies of crashes, injuries, and treatments to improve processes and outcomes. The Traumalink Center for Injury Research and Prevention, with Dr. Flora Winston and Dr. Dennis Durbin, do an outstanding job for which we are grateful.
We are glad to have U.S. Senator Rick Santorum with us today. I served with Rick in the U.S. House of Representatives and enjoyed working with him in those days, as I do today. Senator, we appreciate all of your help with the passage of our new surface transportation law, SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient, Transportation Equity Act, A Legacy for Users). This law is easily the most sweeping highway safety bill of the past decade, without which it would be nearly impossible to keep America moving safely.
As you know, safety is our Department’s top transportation priority. And I know that most Americans feel strongly about safety too. Yet, far too many of our Nation’s children are at risk of injury and death on our roads and highways, because too many parents are not putting their children in booster seats.
Safety belts save lives, but they are not designed for children. Children, ages 4 to 8, are too small for seat belts and, on the other hand, can be too large for toddler seats. A booster seat raises your child up so that the safety belt fits right and can better protect your child.
But today, a shocking 80 to 90 percent of children who should be in booster seats are not. In fact, these numbers have not changed in more than two years. Perhaps people are unfamiliar with the risks, or unaware of the benefits. Either way, ignorance is not bliss. It is deadly.
So let me tell you the facts. Each year, over 53,000 kids are needlessly injured in crashes. If all of these children had been riding in a booster seat, it is possible that thousands of them would have escaped their crashes virtually unharmed. But, without booster seats, the odds are stacked against our kids.
Yes, it is true that today we have some of the world’s best systems in place for keeping children alive when they are injured in car crashes because they are not in booster seats. The doctors and nurses of this hospital and many like it across the country can work miracles. And the fire fighters, EMTs, and paramedics put their lives on the line to get injured children to hospitals like this one.
Together, they are doing their part to address the consequences of this country’s failure to put children in booster seats. But we are not doing enough to get more children into booster seats in the first place, and that is simply unacceptable. Starting right now, we must all do a better job.
Federal officials must do more to get parents to put their children in booster seats. More state officials must pass booster seat laws and enforce them. And, most importantly, all parents, grandparents, older brothers and sisters, neighbors and babysitters must learn about booster seats and then use them – all the time.
Indeed, we all have a role to play to make sure our children stay safe, healthy, and alive.
It is time to stop ignoring this problem. And that is why today I am announcing $25 million in new funding over the next four years for Child Safety and Child Booster Seat Incentive Grants to get states to pass and enforce laws to keep children safe on the road.
We also are doing our part to spread the word about booster seats. Our website www.boosterseat.gov lets parents know if their child should be in a booster seat. It also has important information about the laws and how you can better protect your children, no matter their age.
We also are investing over $285,000 for new billboards and radio and television advertisements that will air nationwide. These new ads are designed to get more parents to put children in booster seats. In fact, we have copies for you today so you can encourage your own stations to spread the message.
It is a message that more people need to hear. Indeed, if more state officials had heard the message, we would have laws in all 50 states, instead of just 34 and the District of Columbia.
Today, I call on the remaining 16 states – Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, South Dakota, Texas and Utah – that do not have booster seat laws in place to do the right thing and pass a law now.
And the other 34 states must take a close look at their own laws to make sure they are strong enough.
Of course, government cannot conquer this challenge alone. Teachers, parents, guardians, and others must lead by example. Just because booster seats are not the law of the land, does not mean they shouldn’t be the law of your house.
Booster seats work; they help keep kids out of harm’s way. They are widely available and affordable – you can find them at most discount and baby supply stores. These seats are an inexpensive investment in your child’s well-being, and in his or her future. And if you cannot afford to buy one, call your local police department or office of public safety and ask about groups who will help pay for one.
Finally, I would also like to take a minute to address the special responsibility – like it or not – that people in the public eye have when it comes to matters of safety. People look to them to set an example, and often copy what they do. Their behavior should reflect this trust.
Recent photos of Britney Spears driving with her infant son on her lap are troubling. And while Ms. Spears has acknowledged her mistake, her actions still send the wrong message to millions of her fans.
No matter who you are, there is absolutely no excuse for this display – not instinct, not fear, not even reckless paparazzi. It is irresponsible to compromise the safety of a child for the sake of the moment.
So I am asking everyone today to put the safety of all of our children first. Put your children in booster seats, buckle them up, buckle yourself up, and obey driving laws.
There is no reason, with the incredible resources and unprecedented focus on safety in our country today, that more Americans are not putting their children in booster seats. We are putting our children at risk unnecessarily. We need to do a better job, and I am here to tell you… we will. Thank you.
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