Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Safe Kids, Rocky Mountain Chevy Dealers ‘Drive Safety Home’


(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.

# # #

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.