Media Advisory: Ollie Otter to Teach Children to Buckle Up

NASHVILLE --- The Ollie the Otter Booster Seat Safety Program will visit students at Dan Mills Elementary in Nashville for an entertaining and educational program promoting child passenger safety as part of Child Passenger Safety Week, September 19-25, 2010. Department of Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell will join Ollie in an interactive presentation that teaches children about the importance of buckling up every time they ride in a vehicle.

 

“It is the responsibility of every single parent and caregiver out there to make sure their children are safely restrained—every trip, every time,” said Tennessee Department of Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell. “We are urging everyone to get their child safety seats inspected. When it comes to the safety of a child, there is no room for mistakes.”

 

WHO:    Ollie the Otter

             Department of Safety Commissioner Dave Mitchell

WHAT:  Child Passenger Safety Presentation- Booster Seats and Safety Belts   

WHEN:   Tuesday, September 21, 2010 at 8:30 a.m.   

WHERE: Dan Mills Elementary, 4106 Kennedy Avenue, Nashville, Tenn., 37216

 

The award-winning Ollie the Otter program communicates that Tennessee state law requires the use of a booster seat until a child is 4-feet-9 inches tall or nine years old. Ollie encourages children to wear their seatbelts and educates them about Tennessee’s booster seat law http://state.tn.us/safety/newCRD.htm .  On January 1, 1978, Tennessee became the first state in the nation to require the use of safety seats for child passengers.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 8,959 lives have been saved from 1975 to 2008 by the proper use of child restraints. Research shows that child restraints provide the best protection for all children up to age eight.  For more information on Child Passenger Safety Week and to find the child seat inspection station nearest you, visit http://www.nhtsa.gov . For more information on the Ollie the Otter Program, visit http://www.seatbeltvolunteer.org