New Transportation Display Unveiled at Children's Museum
Over the river and through the woods…that trip to Grandma’s house for Sunday dinner can mean snow, ice, or wet roads. As winter kicks into full gear, it is more important than ever for parents to think about how they are transporting their littlest family members. With cold, wet weather forcing families indoors, it is also a perfect time for parents and children to visit the Children’s Museum of Cleveland (CMC) and learn about staying safe in and around cars in a brand new interactive transportation safety exhibit that opened in late November.
“Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death and injury for children over the age of one,” notes Kathryn Wesolowski, Manager of the Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital Injury Prevention Center. “Being restrained in a vehicle—with car seats for infants and toddlers, booster seats for other young children, or seat belts for older children and teens—is the best means of reducing risk of injury, yet only 1 in 3 children treated in Ohio trauma centers for injuries sustained in motor vehicle crashes is restrained.”
The exhibit was conceived and developed through a collaborative effort of CMC and the Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital Injury Prevention Center, with the generous support of Kohl’s Cares for Kids. The exhibit highlights motor vehicle safety with an array of activities for children and their caregivers. The walls of the exhibit feature hands-on, interactive stations that educate children and their parents about topics like motor vehicle safety, pedestrian safety, and bike safety in a small, neighborhood-like setting that creates opportunities for discussion between parents and children. The exhibit is laid out like a crossroads, with a working traffic signal, a child-sized car, and a walk/don’t walk sign that enable children and their caregivers to practice safe travel habits together.
The exhibit was unveiled on November 20, 2006, as part of a new Rainbow initiative known as Safe Rides for All Kids. The program, which is sponsored through a grant from Kohl's Cares for Kids, is a multifaceted effort to increase restraint use for children of every age by reaching youngsters and parents where they live, work, and play. This coordinated, highly visible program has the potential to prevent countless motor vehicle-related deaths and injuries in the Greater Cleveland area and reduce the burden of injury on children, families, and communities.
   
   
   
   
|
|
