NEWSLETTER:
Spring Into Summer Safely
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Volunteer of the Decade Award: Susan Pepperdine
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Susan Pepperdine is one of those “once in a lifetime” volunteers that you can only dream of finding and believe it or not… she found us. Many times over the past 10 years, we have had to pinch ourselves because she is simply too good to be true.
Ms. Pepperdine shares her time, talents and treasures with KidsAndCars.org as well as a number of other worthy causes supporting animal welfare, veterans and agriculture. Susan truly has a one-of-a-kind heart of gold.
We are forever grateful for the countless blessings that she has bestowed upon KidsAndCars.org over the years. Thank you so much, Susan, for being the wonderful woman that you are.
Read more about Susan’s work with KidsAndCars.org
here
.
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NEW “Childproof Your Ride” Program
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Supported by a grant from State Farm Insurance, this NEW program focuses on educating and training parents and caregivers about effective ways to protect their children in and around vehicles. Despite vehicle accidents being the number one killer of children in the U.S., “Childproof Your Ride” is the first program developed solely to focus on making the environment in and around vehicles safer.
It is common for people to think of their vehicles simply as a means for getting from point A to point B. Every environment has risks and vehicles can be one of the most dangerous environments that children and families encounter every day.
KidsAndCars.org encourages parents to visit the
“Childproof Your Ride” website
for more information on how to protect children. The website provides safety information on topics such as car seat safety, blindzones, power windows, vehicle safety features and offers simple habits parents can incorporate into their daily lives to help keep their children safe.
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Thank you to everyone who came out to the "Childproof Your Ride" kick-off event in Overland Park, KS. Pictured above are the speakers from the event. Left to right: Kevin Gamble (State Farm Insurance), Brett Horn (Charlie's House), Ayman Abdul-Rauf, M.D., FAAP, Children’s Mercy Kansas Emergency Department,
Amber Rollins (KidsAndCars.org), Janette Fennell (KidsAndCars.org), Jay Fleer (Mission Police Dept.), Whitney Rodden (KidsAndCars.org Parent Advocate)
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‘Look Before You Lock’ to Prevent Hot Car Tragedies
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Last year was the worst year in U.S. history for child hot car deaths with a total of 52 fatalities. Already this year, 6 children have died in hot cars. KidsAndCars.org’s ‘Look Before You Lock’ cards are designed to educate parents and caregivers about the dangers of children being unknowingly left or getting into vehicles on their own and how to prevent tragedies from happening.
Thanks to the generous support of Toyota, KidsAndCars.org has provided over one million ‘Look Before You Lock’ cards to more than 750 hospital birthing centers nationwide. We encourage you to share the cards throughout your networks to help raise awareness.
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Simply visit
Smile.Amazon.com
and select “Kids And Cars, Inc” as your charity of choice once and then continue shopping as normal and Amazon will donate a percentage of all of your purchases. It doesn’t cost you a penny!
Note: Donations do not work using the Amazon APP on phones, so be sure to shop in your internet browser!
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Flooding Dangers for Drivers
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Did you know, it takes less than one foot of water to sweep away an entire vehicle? Spring and summer bring heavy rain and can cause severe flooding. Please never drive a vehicle on a roadway covered in water - even a few inches can cause you to lose control of the vehicle.
Sadly, over half of the water-related fatalities during the 2016-18 hurricane seasons were vehicle-related according to the
CDC
.
KidsAndCars.org offers a tool called the resqme emergency tool that can save lives if a vehicle is swept away in water. The window breaker and seat belt cutter tool allows you to get out of the vehicle and prevent you from becoming trapped inside.
Order your resqme tool
HERE
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NEW STUDY: When a child dies of heatstroke after a parent or caretaker unknowingly leaves the child in the car: How does it happen and is it a crime?
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Dr. David Diamond published a new paper in the Medicine, Science and Law Journal on the largely misunderstood tragedies of children being unknowingly left alone in motor vehicles. This wonderful publication details how the human brain works and how catastrophic memory failures are to blame in most cases of child hot car deaths. He answers the question – How does it happen and is it a crime?
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People Saving People Award
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Congrats to
KidsAndCars.org
Director, Amber Rollins for receiving the People Saving People Award from the Kansas Department of Transportation for her efforts in advocating for the Good Samaritan law in Kansas to protect citizens who rescue a child, adult or animal from a hot car.
Does your state have a Good Samaritan law?
Learn more
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2019 Roadmap of State Highway Safety Laws
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Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (Advocates) released the 16
th
Annual Roadmap of State Highway Safety Laws on Jan. 22 and held a press conference. Janette Fennell, KidsAndCars.org Founder and President spoke at the event, “With motor vehicle crash deaths & injuries unacceptably high, the time for action on the sound and sensible policies outlined in the Roadmap Report is NOW.”
In 2017, more than 37,000 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. Further, there were nearly 7.27 million police-reported crashes and more than 3.14 million people injured in 2016, the latest year for which full data is available. This is a major public health epidemic by any measure.
State laws have a direct impact on promoting safer behavior by drivers and occupants. Unfortunately, as demonstrated by this report, far too many highway safety laws are lacking across the nation. An additional 406 state laws need to be adopted in the U.S. to fully meet Advocates’ recommended optimal safety laws in this report.
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Millions of vehicles have unexpected, dangerous front blindzone
Sue Auriemma, KidsAndCars.org VP, tells her daughter’s story about surviving a backover
Believe it or not, there are actually counterfeit or “fake” car seats being sold through online retailers. The seats are NOT safe and extra caution should be used when purchasing a child safety seat. The article provides wonderful tips for parents to make sure they are purchasing a car seat from a legitimate source that meets federal safety standards.
A U.N. agency says 40 countries led by Japan and the European Union _ but not the U.S. or China _ have agreed to require new cars and light commercial vehicles to be equipped with automated braking systems starting next year
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A picture is worth a thousand words...
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The KidsAndCars.org crew raising awareness at the annual Lifesavers National Conference on Highway Safety Priorities in Louisville, KY.
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National History Day (NHD) is a year-long academic program focused on historical research, interpretation and creative expression for 6-12th graders. More than
half a million
students participate. The experience consists of a series of contests at the local, regional, state and national level. The 2019 theme was “Triumph and Tragedy.”
Jenna LaCour and Rylee Havenar, 9
th
graders from Louisiana, decided on a project titled,
“Looking
Back, Seeing Nothing - The Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation
Safety Act.”
Their thesis focused on Dr. Greg Gulbransen, a pediatrician from New York, who was part of the fight for rearview cameras in all cars, after he backed over and killed his son, Cameron. The students worked with Cameron’s family to learn more about him and honored him by placing some of his favorite items in their display. The girls placed first at the local and regional level! Thank you so much Jenna and Rylee for honoring the Gulbransen family in this very meaningful way.
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KidsAndCars.org is a nonprofit organization that depends on donations to continue our work protecting children. Please consider making a monthly donation to support our efforts to save lives.
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