(Salt Lake, UT) – Preventable injuries such as motor vehicle crashes, pedestrian-related crashes, drowning, suffocation, and falls are the number one cause of death for children ages 1-14 across the U.S. and in Utah. To help parents and caregivers learn how to keep children safe, Safe Kids Utah has teamed up with the Rocky Mountain Chevy Dealers to “Drive Safety Home” on Safe Kids Day, held Saturday, May 18, 2013.
“Every hour in this country, a child dies from an injury
that was entirely preventable,” said Eden Anderson, Director for Safe Kids
Utah. “We have to change this.”
From road safety to fire and drowning prevention, from
sports safety to poison and falls prevention, Safe Kids coalitions across the
globe work every day to reach parents and kids to provide helpful tips and
tools on keeping children safe.
“We’ve made great progress; in the past 25 years, Safe
Kids coalitions throughout the country have helped to reduce the number of
children dying from unintentional injuries in the U.S. by more than 50%,” said
Janet Brooks, Child Advocacy Manager at Primary Children’s Medical Center and
current Vice President of Safe Kid Utah.
Free safety fairs will be held at Rocky Mountain Chevy
dealerships across the state on Saturday, May 18, 2013 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Families can get tips on car seats, helmet safety, preventing child injuries
around vehicles, and more. Free bicycle helmets will also be given away on a
first-come, first-serve basis. Events will be held at the following dealerships
and locations:
• Larry
H. Miller Chevrolet (5500 South State Street, Murray)
• Jerry
Seiner Chevrolet (1530 South 5th West, Salt Lake City)
• Riverton
Chevrolet (10770 Auto Mall Drive, Sandy)
• Gus
Paulos Chevrolet (4050 West 3500 South, West Valley City)
• Mike
Hale Chevrolet (2190 Rasmussen Road, Park City)
• John
Watson Chevrolet (3535 Wall Avenue, Ogden)
• Quality
Chevrolet Buick (1041 North Main Street, Tooele) – bicycle helmet giveaway only
• Sanpete
County Fairgrounds (500 North Main, Manti) – car seat checkpoint from 9 a.m. to
12 p.m.
• Town
Square Park (50 South Main Street, St. George) – car seat checkpoint from 9
a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in addition to a free safety fair
To learn more about Safe Kids Day events in your
community or to make a donation to Safe Kids Utah, visit www.safekidsutah.org.
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The mission of the
Utah Department of Health is to protect the public's health through preventing
avoidable illness, injury, disability and premature death, assuring access to affordable, quality
health care, and promoting healthy lifestyles.
