New Campaign Looks to Promote Seatbelt Safety to Save Thousands of Latinos' Lives

"Hagalo por su familia, abrochese el cinturon!"

Those words are the heart of a newly forged campaign that focuses on encouraging safety belt usage, which will ultimately curb fatalities and injuries in the Latino community.

Thirteen years ago, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration officials launched a bilingual safety campaign about Latinos' reluctance to wear seat belts, titled "Cuida tu vida -- ponga el cinturon," or "Take care of your life -- buckle up."

For Latinos under the age of 25 in Los Angeles, traffic accidents were the most common cause of death, the safety adminstration reported in May. Only 63 percent of Latinos, as opposed to 71 percent of other ethnic groups, choose to wear seatbelts, resulting in heightening the possibility of death. In 2007, six years later, young Latinos were twice as likely to die in a traffic crash as their non-Hispanic counterparts, and the primarily reasons were a lack of car seats and safety belt.

Nearly 14 years later, statistics have not changed very much, and the National Latino Children's Institute has linked up with the safety administration to develop a new, culturally relevant campaign that's tasked to prevent injuries and fatalities by looking to put an end to unrestrained drivers and passengers by reminding them of their importance to their families. The multimedia campaign will also address the fact that even though automobile accidents are the leading cause of death in the U.S. for Latinos between the ages of 5 and 34, there are very few campaigns designed to educate and inform the Latino community about the importance of seat-belt usage.

The "Do it for your family, buckle up," or "Hagalo por su familia, abrochese el cinturon!" campaign could save tens of thousands of lives annually and prevent countless injuries by providing pertinent information about safe driving and riding practices.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, car accidents kill more than 260,000 children each year and injure as many as 10 million. And, it's the leading cause of death for teens (10-19 years olds) with disabilities. Because African-American and Hispanic teens are often unbuckled, they're more likely to suffer higher fatality rates than other age groups and other ethnic groups -- and what makes matters worse is that their deaths are easily preventable.

NLCI named a number of continued obstacles facing young Latinos, including immigration status, language barriers, long-held traditions and customs, and other factors that complicate access to life-saving information. Those who've recently immigrated, in particular, are at risk of failing to contract vital information because of difficulty understanding where to locate information on seatbelt safety. That said, key cultural insight suggests that the Latinos are motivated to buckle up for the peace of mind of their families.

The bicultural, bilingual web-based campaign toolkit made available by NLCI and NHTSA is customized for the diverse Latino population. The Latino organizations compiled a kit that's intent to equip the public with culturally compelling material that motivates drivers and passengers to use seatbelts, reminding them of the fatal consequences of failing to practice proper seatbelt safety.

For more information on NLCI and NHTSA, the "Do it for your family, buckle up" and the seatbelt toolkit, visit them online. And remember promoting seatbelt safety can lives.