***Walk In Our Shoes***

***How-To Manual***

***Objectives:***

1.  To reduce injuries, deaths and economic losses resulting from motor
    vehicle crashes.

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1.  To raise the public's awareness on the health and economic benefits
    of air bags, safety restraints, and child safety seats.

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1.  To support the "Buckle Up America" campaign and increase the
    national seat belt use to 85% by 2000 and 90% by 2005; reduce child
    occupant fatalities (0-4 years) by 15% in 2000 and by 25% in 2005
    (from a total of 685 in 1995).

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1.  To encourage collaboration between the medical and enforcement
    community to promote traffic safety.

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1.  To encourage all nurses, regardless of specialty, to take a more
    active role in traffic safety and motor vehicle injury prevention.

***Program Description:***

***Introduction***

Motor vehicle travel is the primary means of transportation in the
United States, providing an unprecedented degree of mobility. Motor
vehicles, through the research done by safety engineers like Hugh
DeHaven, have become crash worthy, equipped with safety devices such as
belt restraint system and air bags, and "friendly interior" including
padded steering wheel, padded dashboard and touch pad control dashboard.
Yet for all these advantages, deaths and injuries resulting from motor
vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for persons of every age
from 6 to 27 years old (based on 1993 data). In 1996, 41,907 lives were
lost and 3,511,000 people were injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes,
and 4,548,000 crashes involved property damage only.

In 1996, the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles of travel
remained at its historic low of 1.7, the same since 1993, as compared
with 2.5 in 1986. A 68 percent safety belt use rate nationwide and a
reduction in the rate of alcohol involvement in fatal crashes to 40.9
percent were significant contributions to maintaining this consistently
low fatality rate. However, much remains to be done. The economic cost
alone of motor vehicle crashes in 1994 was more than 150.5 billion.

Statistics show that every hour someone in America dies simply because
they did not buckle up. Many children are not restrained properly
because the adults are not restrained themselves. According to the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's most recent National
Occupant Protection Use Survey, when the

driver is ***buckled, ***restraint use for toddlers (ages 1-4) is 86
percent. However, when the driver is ***unbuckled***, restraint use for
toddlers drops dramatically to 23 percent. Children under 12 are safest
riding in the back seat. The impact of a deploying air bag on an
unbelted child or a child sitting too close to the air bag is enough to
injure or kill them. To date 49 children have died in air bag-related
crashes. The children were not restrained or were improperly restrained.

We can and must reduce the injuries, deaths and economic costs which
result from motor vehicle collisions that occur in our communities. To
accomplish this goal, the ***Walk In Our Shoes *** program has been
developed by the injury prevention and medical outreach specialists at
the NHTSA Region V office. ***Walk In Our Shoes*** is one way we can act
to prevent these injuries, deaths, and economic losses.

Dr. Ricardo Martinez, NHTSA Administrator, summed it very nicely when he
said, "Safety belt use is the key to maximizing the benefits of air bags
and to preventing thousands of lives that crashes claim each year.

***WE NEED TO STOP THE EPIDEMIC ON OUR NATIONS ROADWAYS.***

**What is Walk In Our Shoes?**

The ***Walk In Our Shoes*** is an educational program conducted by the
medical and enforcement professionals for the general public. It is an
event that can be held in any community. It features nursing, police,
EMS and firefighters, four different professionals that share a common
goal of preventing injuries and saving lives. The ***Walk In Our Shoes
***program afford these professionals the opportunity to educate the
public on traffic safety issues such as the correct use of child safety
seats and safety belts, promote goodwill and visibility and at the same
time showcase their life saving efforts in the community.

The*** Walk In Our Shoes*** program offers the citizens an opportunity
to benefit from the experiences of the nurses, police officers,
paramedics, and firefighters in their communities. These professionals
have seen senseless injuries and have taken care of people whose lives
were lost because of unsafe practices. The ***Walk In Our Shoes***
program philosophy is that if the citizens could just walk in these
professionals' shoes even for one day, they \[public\] would know how
frustrating it is for the emergency medical personnel and law
enforcement officers to see the needless toll of injuries and deaths.

**How does the program work?**

It involves representatives from the four departments spending a few
hours together distributing traffic safety materials on topics such as
safety belts, air bags, child safety seats, pedestrian and bicycle
safety to all motorists. Motorists are contacted while stopped at a
traffic light. Experience has shown that this program can be safely
conducted at one of the busiest street intersections

of a community. Restrained motorists receive compliments and those that
are not are strongly encouraged to buckle up. Citations for not using
safety belts are not usually issued at this time by the police officers
but the motoring public are told that buckling up is a law and will be
enforced the next time. Special instructions are given to vehicles where
children are found unrestrained or improperly restrained. A child safety
seat check can also be offered if trained personnel are available. If
appropriate, loaner seats from the police department can also be made
available.

**Program Evaluation**

A pre and post event observational survey of safety belt use is
encouraged. The survey could be conducted by the law enforcement to see
if there is any change in driver behaviour.

**Who can participate in Walk In Our Shoes?**

Everyone can participate in the program. The program is not limited to
emergency nurses. Any nurse, regardless of specialty can take the lead
role. Emergency nurses are singled out because they are usually the ones
that take a lead role in the project and they have a working
relationship with the EMS and law enforcement community. State highway
offices can promote the program in their states. It is one way of
developing a relationship with nontraditional partners in highway
safety.

**Specific Roles**

**Nurse:**

 Lead person of the program, facilitator of the event.

 Contact other members of the team and arrange a meeting with the law
enforcement officer, select a site, date and time to conduct the
program. Describe each participant's role in the event.

 Work with the media \-- the law enforcement officers have a media
person they work with

 Prepare materials to be distributed at the event

 Have a nurse available who is trained to conduct child safety seat
check

 Wear white uniform (if possible) or your department uniform

**Law Enforcement:** co-facilitator of the event

 Work with the Police Chief and other officers who will staff the event

 Select suitable site (busy intersection, mall, etc)

 Provide adequate number of law enforcement officers to staff the event

 Provide a site to conduct child safety seat check

 Have a police officer available who is trained to conduct child safety
seat check

 Wear uniform

**EMS/Firefighters**:

 Provide adequate personnel to staff the event

 Wear uniform

 Work with local businesses to provide free gifts to children (example:
Coupons for free ice cream cone from

McDonald's, Burger King or the local ice cream shoppe).

***Materials Needed:***

1.  "***Walk In Our Shoes**"** ***signs (4) optional

2.  Letter -size brown envelopes (about 500 pieces)

3.  Traffic safety materials: (500 pieces each)

Air bags/Seat belts/Bicycle safety/Pedestrian safety

1.  Orange safety vests to be worn by participants.

2.  3 1/3 mailing label ( 500 count) \-- to be used on envelopes
    containing traffic safety materials

3.  Free and/or loaner child safety seats if local police department has
    loaner program.

4.  Sample press release.

5.  Vince & Larry costume - if available

6.  Police vehicles

7.  Ambulance

8.  Fire Engines

9.  Bottled water/fruit juices for event workers.

***Materials provided by NHTSA Region V Office:***

1\. "How-to" manual.

2\. Copy ready traffic safety materials.

3.  Camera-ready "***Walk In Our Shoes**"*** logo

4.  Sample Press Release

***Schedule of Events Checklist:***

**1 -2 months prior to event**:

\_\_\_\_\_\_ Event committee meeting to plan event.

\_\_\_\_\_\_ Select a suitable site for the event, a busy intersection
with a site nearby for the safety seat check, if being offered.

\_\_\_\_\_\_ Obtain free car seats and/or loaner car seats.

\_\_\_\_\_\_ Confirm availability of trained child safety seat checker.

\_\_\_\_\_\_ Confirm availability of two police cars to be placed
opposite each other in the middle of the street (preferably an island)
with an ambulance /or fire engine on the cross street. On the day of the
event, the ambulance and police cars may opt to turn their on during the
event.

\_\_\_\_\_\_ Prepare materials to be distributed at the event. Obtain
donations from event sponsors for materials to be distributed (big
envelopes to hold traffic safety materials, car seats). You may want to
enlist the help of high school students who need community service hours
to help with the preparation of packets.

\_\_\_\_\_\_ Obtain donation of bottled water or juices from local
businesses.

\_\_\_\_\_\_ Print "***Walk In Our Shoes**"*** envelope labels

\_\_\_\_\_\_ Work with Media person of the sponsor hospital or police
department for media coverage.

**One week before the event:**

\_\_\_\_\_\_ Meet with all participants.

\_\_\_\_\_\_ Make sure all materials for distribution are on

hand and ready for distribution.

**One day before the event:**

\_\_\_\_\_\_ Issue press release

\_\_\_\_\_\_ Take a deep breath and relax.

**Day of event:**

\_\_\_\_\_\_ Arrive at least ½ hour early before the scheduled event

\_\_\_\_\_\_ Have the police officers and Fire Department position their
vehicles.

\_\_\_\_\_\_ If you are offering free safety seat checks, make sure the
free and /or loaner seats are on hand.

\_\_\_\_\_\_ Provide water/juice for the event participants (donated by
local businesses).

\_\_\_\_\_\_ Smile and have a nice time during the event.

**Immediately post-event**:

\_\_\_\_\_\_ Debriefing after the event to discuss possible repeat of
event.

\_\_\_\_\_\_ Evaluation of event. Encourage comments from participants.

**Congratulations.**

**Great job.**

***Safety is everyone**'**s responsibility.***

***Stop the roadway epidemic.***

***Buckle Up.***