Notice to Readers: Operation ABC Mobilization --- November 20--26, 2000
November 20--26 is Operation ABC (America Buckles Up Children) Mobilization
week. The seventh biannual event promotes education and awareness of child-passenger
safety to decrease the incidence of child-passenger fatalities and injuries. This effort is
sponsored by the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign, the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration (NHTSA), and the National Transportation Safety Board, and is
supported by organizations such as Mothers Against Drunk Driving and law enforcement agencies.
During the week, more than 8000 law enforcement agencies will increase activities
to protect child passengers (e.g., ticketing drivers who fail to restrain children
properly, setting up safety checkpoints, and arresting drivers deemed legally impaired); 64%
of child passengers aged <14 years killed in alcohol-related crashes were riding in
the vehicle with the drinking driver (1). Motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause
of death in 1998 among children aged <14 years residing in the United States
(2). Additional information on child-passenger safety and Operation ABC Mobilization is available
from NHTSA, telephone (888) 327-4236 or on the World-Wide Web, http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/people/outreach/safesobr/abcmobilization*.
References
Quinlan KP, Brewer RD, Sleet DA, Dellinger AM. Characteristics of child passenger
deaths and injuries involving drinking drivers. JAMA 2000;283:2249--52.
CDC. National Center for Health Statistics Vital Statistics System and National Center
for Injury Prevention and Control: 10 leading causes of death, United States 1998, all
races, both sexes. Available at http://webapp.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/leadcaus.html.
Accessed November 9, 2000.
* References to sites of nonCDC organizations on the WorldWide Web are provided as
a service to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply endorsement of these
organizations or their programs by CDC or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. CDC is
not responsible for the content of pages found at these sites.
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