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1000 SW Jackson
Suite 230 Coordinator: Executive Committee: Dennis Cooley, MD John Drees John Halbran Jim Keating Elena Nuss Cindy Samuelson |
Bucks Rewarded to Drivers Who Buckle UpSafe Kids Kansas, State Farm and KDOT partner up for Labor Day safety messageThousands of vehicles will be traveling the Kansas roadways this holiday weekend. Many families will head out on one last camping trip or getaway before school begins. Safe Kids Kansas, State Farm and the Kansas Department of Transportation want to encourage families to buckle up and drive safely to protect their most valuable asset, their families. On September 2, a safety belt awareness campaign called "Bucks for Buckles" was held in 40 cities across Kansas. $1 bills were distributed to drivers who have all occupants buckled up securely in their vehicle. Those riding unrestrained received educational materials about the effectiveness of seat belts in saving lives and reducing injuries. "No one can predict when they will be involved in a motor vehicle crash, yet almost all of us will be involved in a serious automobile crash in our lifetime. Last year, 460 people lost their lives on Kansas roadways," said Jan Stegelman, Coordinator of Safe Kids Kansas. "The single most effective means of protecting the lives of you and your passengers is wearing seat belts every time you ride in the vehicle - even short distances." According to the 2004 KDOT Safety Belt survey, only 68 percent of those surveyed ages 14 and older, were wearing their seat belt. This compares to the national average of 80 percent. Last year, Kansas ranked 46th in the nation in seat belt usage. "It is important that Kansans get the message that seat belts save lives," stated Tara Eubanks, State Farm spokesperson. "An average of 115 people die each day in motor vehicle crashes nationally; that's an average of one death every 12 minutes. This is unacceptable." Forty cities in Kansas will be participating this year in the campaign. Safe Kids Kansas, Inc. is a nonprofit Coalition of 67 statewide organizations and businesses dedicated to preventing accidental injuries to Kansas children ages 0-14. Local coalitions and chapters are located in Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Clay, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Ellis, Ford, Franklin, Geary, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Leavenworth, Marion, Meade, Mitchell, Montgomery, Nemaha, Osage, Pottawatomie, Republic, Rice, Riley, Saline, Smith, Shawnee, Wabaunsee, Wilson and Woodson Counties, as well as the cities of Chanute, Leavenworth, Norton, Pittsburg, the Wichita Area and the Metro Kansas City Area. Safe Kids Kansas a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations whose mission is to prevent accidental childhood injury. |
