aired live December 4, 2001

On this KET Kids’ Health Call-In, viewers asked our panel of experts about issues of vehicle safety for kids, from car seats for infants to teaching teens how to drive. Among the topics discussed were car seats and booster seats, all-terrain vehicle use by children, and teen driving.

Hosted by Melanie Glasscock, the program featured these panelists:

• Susan Pollack, M.D.
  Pediatric and Adolescent Injury Prevention Program, University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital
• Therese Moseley, R.N.
  Safe Communities Project Coordinator, Central Baptist Hospital, Lexington
• Lt. Lisa Rudzinski
  Kentucky State Police Office of Public Affairs

How does Kentucky measure up against other states using the vehicle safety ruler? In October 2001, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety measured several safety factors and issued a state-by-state comparison. Here’s how it rated Kentucky:

General Vehicle Safety

• Kentucky Traffic Collision Facts 2000
  
  
• National Safe Kids Campaign
  
  
• Safe Kids Chapters in Kentucky
  
  
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
  
  
• Click It or Ticket is a project of the Governor’s Highway Safety Program for Kentucky.
  
  
• Drive Smart Kentucky: 1-888-374-8768
  
  
• Bumper to Bumper and Curb to Curb ... Driving Is Safer Now Than in 1900
  
  
• Transportation Safety Contact
      Governor’s Highway Traffic Safety
      Frankfort, KY 40601
      (502) 564-6700

All-Terrain Vehicles

• All-Terrain Vehicle Injury Prevention—a policy statement on two-, three-, and four-wheeled unlicensed motor vehicles from the American Academy of Pediatrics (June 2000)
  
  
• The 4-H Community ATV Safety Program offers resources and training to help you address ATV safety issues in your community.
  
  
• ATV Safety Institute If you are going to ride an ATV, do it safely.
  
  
• ATV Safety Packet from Children’s Safety Network
  
  
• The ATV Safety Fact Sheet lists statistics.

Graduated Licenses

• About the Kentucky Graduated Driver’s License
  
  
• Kentucky’s Licensing Program for Young Drivers policy brief (.pdf format)
  
  
• Graduated Driver’s License Program Needs Improvement, Data Shows—University of Kentucky Medical Center press release (November 2001)
  
  
• Kentucky Driver Testing Manual
  
  
• Street Skills, KET’s safety series for teen drivers

Car Seat Safety

• Child safety seat selection information from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
  
  
• Child safety seat inspection stations in Kentucky
  
  
• Child safety seat recall list
  
  
• Buckle That Child campaign
  
  
• National SAFE KIDS Study Shows Need for Improvement in Child Restraint Laws—University of Kentucky Medical Center press release (February 2001)
  
  
• Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center fact sheet on Child Passenger Safety
  
  
• Is Your Car Seat Safe?
  
  
• Improper Use of Child Safety Seats—a 1996 research article with a graphic showing points to look for in proper installation of car seats
  
  
• Tips for Parents on Child Safety Seats, Seatbelts, and Airbags
  
  
• Carsafety.org provides parents with information on the selection and safe installation of child safety restraints, including car seats, as well as general car safety.
  
  
• Check with your local Health Department or Fire Department for information on car seat safety.
  
  
• Transportation Safety Contact
      Sharon Ringers
      Governor’s Highway Traffic Safety
      Frankfort, KY 40601
      (502) 564-6700