Buckle Up Kids

Motor vehicle related injuries kill more children and young adults than any other single cause in the United States. These crashes are the leading cause of death from unintentional injury for persons of all ages. Motor vehicle crashes account for nearly 42 percent of all unintentional childhood injury-related deaths (0-14). In 2011, Wyoming had 22 people (0-21 years) killed in motor vehicle crashes. Of those lives lost (0-21 years), 12 failed to use proper restraints. A total of 135 deaths occurred in Wyoming due to motor vehicle crashes and of that 63 percent were NOT restrained. (Wyoming Highway Patrol Fatal Summary, 2012)

According to the Safe Kids Wyoming database from checkup events, 91.89 percent of parents/caregivers used their seatbelts in 2012.

The Buckle Up Kids Program through a partnership with Safe Kids Worldwide, WYDOT Highway Safety Program, Wyoming Department of Health, Safe Kids Wyoming and the Cheyenne Regional Medical Center Foundation is a comprehensive statewide initiative that works with local communities to train and certify volunteer personnel to provide child safety seat checks in their communities. The program offers training for technicians and community advocates and offers technical support with one statewide data center on checkers, certified trainers, advocates and the checkup results.

Safe Communities

Safe Communities is a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing the number of unintentional injuries in the area. Region 1 of Safe Communities consists of 4 counties including Albany County, Carbon County, Goshen County and Laramie County.

The focus is placed on educating residents in the following areas:

  • Youth Occupant Protection
  • Adult Occupant Protection
  • Youth Impaired Driving
  • Adult Impaired Driving
  • Distracted Driving
  • Helmet Education