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Trauma Prevention Legislative Issues Seat belts HCMC is a member of the MN Seat Belt Coalition. The coalition wants people to make the decision to buckle up every time they're in a vehicle. Coalition members also agree that upgrading Minnesota's seat belt law to Universal Standard Enforcement is the least expensive and quickest way to achieve significant increases in seat belt use. Click here for more info on the coalition’s efforts to upgrade the MN seat belt law. Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Motor vehicle crashes are the #1 killer of children. The Minnesota child restraint law is over 25 years old and only covers child until age 4. Many scientific studies of real life crashes has determined that a child can not safety ride in an adult seat belt until they are at least 4’9” tall and weigh 80 pounds. After they outgrow a standard car seat a child needs a belt positioning booster until they can ride in the adult seat belt safely, which for many child is not until they reach age 9. HCMC has worked with a number of organizations to educate legislators about the benefit of upgrading MN child passenger safety law to include children up through age 8. The bill passed the MN Senate in 2007, in order to get a vote in the house it must pass out of the House Pubic Safety Committee in 2008. For updates on the status of House File 105 and the Child Passenger Safety bill, click here. Link here for more on the benefits of boosters Link here to MN current law for child passengers Link here to a listing of other states' CPS Laws
Graduated driving license (GDL) legislation Motor vehicle crashes remain the number one cause of death among teens in the U.S. in spite of increased awareness of the importance of seat belt use and the dangers of drinking and driving. The fatality rate for drivers age 16 to 19 years, based on mile driven, is four times that of drivers age 25 to 69 years. Minnesota is one of only a few states that do not place some restrictions on novice drivers for the first several months after they pass their driving exam. There are many studies that show that limiting night time driving and the number of passengers during those fist six months allows the new driver time to focus learning the skills they need to be a safe driver, while minimizing distractions. At this time the only limit divers placed on noivie drivers under the age of 18 is a restriction on cell phone use.. For more information on GDL studies and laws in other states go to the following web sites: Click here for GDL research and recommendations Click here to see how MN compares to other states with GDL
Red light running Documented evidence of photo enforcement's safety benefits has been recorded in the U.S and around the world, reinforced by new reports and studies showing that cameras lead to significant decreases in intersection violations and crashes. As a supplement to traditional law enforcement, red light cameras can bring about behavior changes resulting in more motorists obeying traffic signals and signs and avoiding the crashes, injuries and loss of life caused by red light running. (Source http://www.stopredlightrunning.com/) For information n Minnesota’s efforts to address this traffic safety problem, contact Nancy@frankwilsonconsulting.com
For more information on Hennepin County Medical Center's Trauma Prevention program, contact coordinator Julie Philbrook at (612) 873-8500, or julie.philbrook@hcmed.org See what Hennepin County Medical Center is doing to help prevent falls in older adults!
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