|
|
Multicultural Outreach
What You Should Know about African Americans and Safety Belts
-
Recent research demonstrates that minorities are over-represented in motor vehicle crashes.
-
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for African Americans through the
age of 14. They are the second leading cause of death for African Americans between the ages
of 15 and 24, surpassed only by homicides.
-
In 2000, the seat belt use rate among African Americans was five percentage points lower
than that for whites.
-
A recent survey showed that 42 percent of minority children (of which African Americans
were a part) were at greater risk of air bag related injuries because they were more frequently
placed in the front seat of vehicles with passenger-side air bags. By contrast, 15 percent of white
children were improperly placed in the front seat of these vehicles.
Good News
What You Should Know about Hispanics and Safety Belts
-
For Hispanics, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for ages 1-34.
-
A recent study examined motor vehicle fatality exposure rates and found that, although
African American and Hispanic male teenagers travel fewer vehicle miles than their white counterparts,
they are nearly twice as likely to die in a motor vehicle crash.
Differential Enforcement
-
The issue of a law enforcement officer stopping a citizen based purely on race or ethnicity,
known as differential enforcement or "racial profiling," has recently become an issue in traffic
safety.
-
While NHTSA supports the enactment of primary seat belt laws among the States, NHTSA strongly
opposes any form of enforcement that uses race or ethnicity as a criterion for stopping
a motorist. NHTSA continues to work with the Department of Justice to develop
and promote best practices for conducting fair, professional traffic stops.
NHTSA also continues to work with its State and community public safety partners
to ensure that traffic stops are made for legitimate law violations. NHTSA
encourages law enforcement agencies to adopt policies, management practices,
training, and community outreach efforts to eliminate differential enforcement.
Recent Events /Activities
On September 23 Eastern Region, in partnership with Regions 1 & 3, hosted a
Tri-Regional Diversity Meeting bringing together 40 professionals consisting
of a combination of grantees, diversity liaisons and contacts, and NHTSA representatives.
The meeting provided a venue for the exchange of best practices, networking,
and learning of the most up to date resources for working with diverse communities.
The Mid-Hudson (NY) Health and Safety Institute is launching a traffic safety
project with the Latino Community. An initial informational breakfast was
held on September 30 for Latino business leaders with NYS diversity liaisonBooker
Brown serving as a featured speaker. Additional meetings are being planned
for 2004.
Ongoing activities/projects
Diversity Partnerships. In 2001, the New Jersey Division of Highway
Traffic Safety implemented Diversity Partnership projects in the city of Camden
and in Cumberland County for the purpose of building multi-cultural coalitions
and ultimately increasing safety belt and car seat usage rates. Additional
projects were initiated in Salem and Atlantic Counties in 2003.
Eastern Region Diversity Alliance. The Alliance focuses on sharing information,
identifying common concerns, and evaluating how the Regional Office can assist
States with their traffic safety diversity efforts. If you are interested
in attending a meeting or learning more about the Alliance, contact Ann Burton
at the Regional Office.
Tri -State Media efforts. Working with the state highway safety offices
of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, Eastern Region has led the effort to bring
traffic safety to the media's attention in the metropolitan New York area.
As this is an extremely diverse area, the Eastern Region office works closely with
media outlets such as Univision, Telemundo and others to cover key traffic
safety events and promote traffic safety campaigns.
Resource Center. The Eastern Region office is in the process of establishing
a multicultural resource center with samples of brochures, articles and other
resources. For information contact Ann Burton at the regional office.
Diversity Resources and Publications List
|