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Patterns for Life Overview |
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in cooperation with several national safety and health organizations and state highway safety offices, developed the Patterns for Life initiative to improve the health status of children up to 14 years old by reducing the number of children killed and injured each year in traffic-related crashes. The goal of the program is to implement child restraint, pedestrian, bicycle, and school bus safety programs that teach children safety habits to use for the rest of their lives, and to provide local communities with the resources to form lasting partnerships to accomplish this goal.
The Patterns for Life Initiative Includes: The initial work of the Patterns for Life initiative concentrated on the issue of child passengers safety. To that end, the following products are nearing completion. Child Passenger Safety Training Program
A standardized training course has been developed and targets advocates aspiring to become technically competent enough to participate in and/or conduct child safety seat clinics and advocates wanting to teach the course to others. The 4-day course includes lectures, discussions of new issues, and hands-on practice with both safety seats and vehicle belt systems. Attendance and successful completion of this course are primary criteria for certification in child passenger safety.
Targeted training is currently available for law enforcement officers through Operation Kids and fire and rescue personnel through Buckle Up Kids. Additionally, a new course has recently been developed for child care providers. These courses ensure increased awareness about child transportation issues for these special audiences. Instructors of the Operation Kids training have attended the NHTSA standardized course, enabling them to provide the most up-to-date technical information available. Child Transportation Program and Training Database
Product and Material Development
A revised and renamed Child Transportation Safety Resource Manual includes the latest child passenger safety information, as well as information on pedestrian, bicycle and school bus safety issues. In 1997, pedestrian, bicycle, and school bus safety were incorporated into the Patterns for Life initiative. Besides the Child Transportation Safety Resource Manual (discussed above), several other products are in progress:
Be on the lookout for these items and other updated training materials and activities dedicated to improving child transportation safety. |