Buckling Up Prevents Injuries

* As emergency nurses, we wish to commend The Times for the May 21 article “Teen Drivers Are Least Likely to Buckle Up.”

By highlighting the tragedy experienced by Andre Stewart’s family, we are hopeful that others will come to learn that many fatal injuries might be avoided by the simple act of fastening one’s seat belt.

According to a public education flier put out by Emergency Nurses CARE and the Injury Prevention Institute of the Emergency Nurses Assn., “Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death to children of all races. In 1998, more than 2,000 children age 12 and under were killed as they rode in cars involved in crashes.”

According to the groups, every 14 seconds someone is injured in a traffic crash. Every 14 minutes someone is killed. Many of these deaths might be prevented by simply buckling up.

Our hearts go out to the family of Andre Stewart and to all families who have lost a loved one in a motor vehicle crash.

A campaign of public education can certainly help to reduce needless injury and death.

VICKI CADWELL, RN

DIANA MEYER, RN

Capistrano Beach