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The Buckle Up Baby Community Group is a
coalition that includes City of London Police Services,
CAA South Central Ontario, London Fire Department,
Child Reach, The Bay White Oaks,
Middlesex-London Health Unit, London Health
Sciences Centre, Second Stage Pre-School (Merrymount),
Children's Aid Society of London-Middlesex,
OPP Strathroy, Ontario Ministry of
Transportation, Once Upon A Child, OEYC
Perth Middlesex, London Bridge Child Care
Services Inc. and Toys R Us recognize that correct
installation of baby car seats continues to
be a significant challenge for the baby car
seat user group. Manufacturer's differences,
a variety of passenger vehicles and brand
new users all contribute to this challenge.
London Safe Communities is pleased to
receive the support of the Buckle Up Baby
Coalition to deliver this important safety
information for our youngest citizens. |
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How The Buckle Up Baby Begun: |
The spring of 1997 marked the creation of
the "Buckle up Baby" program by the London
Police Traffic Management Unit. The need for
this program was identified since car
crashes are the number one cause of death
for children in Canada.
Each year seventy Canadian children are
killed with an additional four thousand
being seriously injured in vehicle
collisions. The vast majority of these
children were being transported without the
proper installation of their child
restraint. Had they been properly installed
it is believed that sixty-three of those
killed could have survived the crash. Many
others would have been spared serious
injury. A 1991 Ministry of Transportation
report estimates that nearly two-thirds of
the children in the province are being
improperly restrained while being
transported. "Buckle up Baby" is aimed at
two groups of children: newborns prior to
leaving the hospital for their first car
ride and those children already in the
community. The London Police Traffic
Management Unit, in co-operation with local
car dealerships, periodically hosts child
restraint clinics.
"Buckle up Baby" continues to be a strong
preventative voice for the promotion of and
proper use of child seat restraint systems.
The Traffic Management Unit continues to be
invited to a variety of promotional
activities to continue voicing the message
of child safety in motor vehicles. Many
people at these events have shown interest
and a new appreciation of the importance of
properly securing their children. |
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