Suffolk Safe Kids Launches Safety Program at RAMP Chevy

 (Long Island, N.Y.) Safe Kids Suffolk in partnership with RAMP Chevy, launched the first Automotive Safety Patch Program for Cub Scouts in New York State. This is a new component of the existing Safe Kids/Chevrolet “Safe Kids Buckle Up Program”. Scouts ages 6 to 10 participated in the program that involved the scouts navigating through five different interactive safety stations successfully to earn their patch.

The program includes different aspects of automotive safety including: preventing trunk entrapment, proper car seat and booster usage, teaching families NEVER to leave a child alone in a vehicle (including a parent check list with helpful safety tips such as instructing parents to always walk all the way around a parked vehicle to check for children) and how to contact OnStar in the event of an emergency.

The success of this New York State launch could be measured by the excitement of the kids and the focus of the parents. The children were as excited about earning their “Safety Patch” as they were to sit in the cars, examine the engines and learn about the inner workings of the Chevy hybrid vehicles and the non-gas-burning Hydrogen Equinox.

“One of the components of this program that makes it so effective is that it requires the cooperation of parents and children,” said RAMP Vice President John Rampone. “This creates a safety lesson for both that will last far beyond the program. 

Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 14 and under. While the majority of these deaths are traffic related, 10 percent occur off-road when children become entrapped, are left alone in vehicles or are backed over in driveways and parking lots. Through proper safety training RAMP and Safe Kids are working diligently to achieve national and international statistical reductions in preventable childhood injuries.

Susan Katz, RN, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and Coordinator for Safe Kids Suffolk County notes “ People are unaware of the unseen hazards and unthinkable tragedies that can occur simply through lack of awareness. The mission of this program is to raise public awareness of the dangers children face, even in their very own driveways.”

Due to an overwhelming response to the first RAMP Safety-Patch program another training program has been scheduled for mid-June.

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Roosevelt Strategy Group
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