Austin-Travis County EMS, Toyota, Cincinnati Children’s launch mobile safety lab

Austin-Travis County EMS deployed the nation’s first Buckle Up for Life Safety Lab, a mobile interactive experience designed to educate families on child passenger safety. The lab, which can be used throughout the CAPCOG region, was funded through a grant from Buckle Up for Life, a national car seat safety program by Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC) and Toyota.

“At Austin-Travis County EMS, we are always looking for innovative ways to reach community members, especially those in underserved communities who may not have the flexibility to attend classes outside of their neighborhoods,” said Randy Chhabra, Captain of Austin-Travis County EMS. “One of the exciting things about the mobile Safety Lab is that it allows us to meet families where they are and deliver critical education and resources to help children stay safe in cars.”

Three out of four car seats in the United States are not installed properly, but the lab brings education and resources together to help more families get it right by connecting parents and caregivers with customized opportunities about child passenger safety. The lab will travel to neighborhoods across the region offering information from multi-lingual certified child passenger experts and emergency medical professionals.

“We know that a properly installed car seat can mean the difference between life and death in the event of a crash,” said Corazon Eaton, CCHMC program manager. “That’s why initiatives like the Buckle Up for Life Safety Lab are so important.”

“Toyota launched Buckle Up for Life in 2004 with Cincinnati Children’s with a belief that community-based education could have a powerful effect on improving children’s safety. Since then, we’ve impacted more than 100,000 people nationwide, provided funding for more than 60,000 car seats to families in need and developed local partnerships in almost 200 cities,” said Al Smith, Group Vice President, Chief Social Innovation Officer. “The mobile safety lab can expand Austin-Travis County EMS reach and capacity to serve more people in need, helping to educate people throughout the region.”

Go to austintexas.gov/department/ems for a schedule of upcoming events and to contact Austin-Travis County EMS about the lab.

About Buckle Up for Life

Buckle Up for Life is a national car seat safety program for families, created by Toyota and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in 2004, to help keep child passengers safe. The program partners with leading children’s hospitals, community organizations, local governments, schools and non-profit organizations to teach parents and children about the proper use of car seats and seat belts and to provide free car seats to families in need. Buckle Up for Life has reached more than 100,000 people nationwide and given out more than 60,000 car seats to families in need. It has developed partnerships in over 150 cities including Dallas, Cincinnati, Memphis, Phoenix, Chicago, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and New York – and expands to new partners each year.

Get more information at BuckleUpforLife.org.

 About Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center ranks third in the nation among all Honor Roll hospitals in U.S.News & World Report’s Best Children’s Hospitals. Cincinnati Children’s, a non-profit organization, ranks second nationally in number of pediatric research grants from the National Institutes of Health. The medical center is internationally recognized for improving child health and transforming delivery of care through fully integrated, globally recognized research, education and innovation.

Get more information about Cincinnati Children’s Hospital.

 About Austin-Travis County EMS

The City of Austin Emergency Medical Services Department is a 3rd service public safety/civil service agency providing 9-1-1 emergency response to residents of Austin and Travis County. Its Community Relations & Injury Prevention section provides a variety of free programs and services including child car seat inspections, education and outreach through our Child Passenger Safety (CPS) program.

 About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) is committed to building vehicles for the way people live. Over the past 60 years, we’ve built more than 38 million cars and trucks in North America, where its has 14 manufacturing plants.