Ride Safe Program Manual (PDF - 3.6MB)
Ride Safe Mid-Year Progress Report Due 12/31/2011 (PDF - 360KB)
The Indian Health Service (IHS) developed Ride Safe to help
tribal communities address motor vehicle injuries among
American Indian and Alaskan Native children. Specifically, Ride Safe aims
to reduce the rate of motor vehicle related injuries to children, aged 3 to 5
years, enrolled in participating Tribal Head Start programs, by promoting
motor vehicle child restraint use. The Ride Safe Program training module
includes eight guides; each guide includes activities for a specific group
within the Tribal community.
Motor vehicle crashes (MVCs) are the leading cause of death for American
Indians/Alaska Natives (AI/AN) ages 1-44. Tragically, MVC injuries and
deaths disproportionately affect the youngest members of the community
and their families. MVCs are the leading cause of death among American
Indians/Alaskan Natives (AI/AN) children ages 1-9. Individuals that would
one day grow up to be future community leaders and parents often don’t get
the chance to take their place in the community. These losses are even
more tragic because the majority of severe MVC injuries and deaths could be
prevented through the use of a child safety seat or seatbelt.
When parents and childcare providers use appropriate occupant restraints
while transporting their child in a vehicle, the chances of their child surviving
a car crash improves. Unfortunately, on-going observational surveys in
AI/AN communities suggest that seatbelt and child safety seat usage rates
on most Tribal Reservations are very low.
Some of the common reasons parents do not use child safety seats include,
but are not limited to, the following:
Most of these factors were cited in a local focus group and noted in Child
Passenger Safety literature.
- Use of occupant restraints (child safety seats and seatbelts) is not
mandated by state or tribal law.
- Adult family members don’t use vehicle restraints.
- Families cannot afford child safety seats.
- Children are resistant to being placed in a child safety seat.
- Child safety seats are difficult to use.
- Short trips aren’t perceived as being hazardous.
- Selected vehicle restraint systems are incompatible with booster seats.
The Ride Safe Program will achieve its overall goal by meeting the
The Ride Safe Program was designed to meet Head Start Performance
Standards 1304.22(d)(1)&(2) for Injury Prevention and 1304.40(a)(1),
and 1304.41(a)(1)(2) for collaborative partnership-building:
- Provide funding and support for at least one Tribal Head Start
Center staff member to complete the National Highway Traffic
(NHTSA) Child Passenger Safety (CPS) technician training.
- Provide a one to two-day CPS training for all Head Start staff who
participate in Ride Safe activities.
- Educate parents and childcare providers about proper and ageappropriate
child restraint use.
- Distribute to parents and care givers one car seat or booster seat
for each child at a Head Start Center that implements the Ride Safe
- Conduct follow-up home visits to educate parents and other
caregivers about proper car seat use and to reinforce positive child
passenger safety messages.
- Gather community child restraint use data.
- Promote community awareness about how to lessen the severity of
motor vehicle crash injuries through car seat use.
During this second year, eleven tribal Head Start programs are
participating in the Ride Safe project. For more information on the
Ride Safe program, please contact Robert.firstname.lastname@example.org.
- Ensure that staff and volunteers can demonstrate CPS skills
properly to parents and childcare providers.
- Foster CPS awareness among children and childcare providers
by incorporating it into activities.
- Engage in a collaborative partnership with other government
and non-government groups to conduct CPS training and