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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 27, 1998)
flUTOßßlCFS Buckling Up Saves Lives Black Children 1 ess Likel Wear Seatbelts O ld s m o b ile d o n a te d $175,000 to the O ldsm obile Bryant Gum bel/UNCF Celeb rity GolfTournament to furnish academic students with scholar ships. The annual event was held in Orlando, Fla. Cornelius Mar tin, president o f the National Oldsmobile Marketing Associa tio n and Bill T h o m p so n , O ldsm obile’s assistant general sales and service manager, pre sen ted a check to B ryant Gumbel. Also shown are two U N C F scholarship recipients: N abulungi M ack-W illiam o f Spelman College (far left) and Bobby Middleton of Voorhees College (far right). By Reg McGhee here’s an old saying—an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. W hen it comes to kids and cars that’s certainly true. According to the National Safety Council, automobile accidents are the leading cause of death for children un der age 1 5. Lack of, or improper seatbelt use was responsible for 2,100 child deaths and another 327,000 injuries last year, making auto crashes more deadly to children than all dis eases combined. In vehicles without air bags, the death rate to children drops by 33 percent when kids ride prop erly restrained in the rear seat. One particularly disturbing fact reported by the Na tional Safety Council is that African-American youth are 50 percent less likely to buckle up than their white or His panic counterparts. The council estimates that African- American youth are being killed or seriously injured in greater numbers because thev don’t buckle up. Fortunately, a plethora of educational efforts are being launched across the country, with the National Safety Council and the Big Three automakers among groups sponsoring high visibility campaigns. General Motors is backing the “Safe Kids Buckle Up'" campaign, which is dis tributing a free video along with an informative book on child passenger safety. Ford is distributing a “Safety Advice” card and a color ful Sesame Street magazine called “Safety' on the Road’ through their dealerships. Chrysler, along with other safety-minded organizations, has launched a massive campaign aimed at reaching the nation's school children. An instructional video featuring Public Television children's show host Bill Nye “The Sci ence Guy’’ and age-appropriate materials are being made available to demonstrate “The ABC’s of Air Bag Safety’. T BLACK COLLEGES RECEIVE MORE THAN $300,000 IN HONDA ALL-STAR CHALLENGE 4 Some 64 teams of scholars from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) battled for more than $300,000 in grants during the 9th Annual Honda Cam pus A ll-S ta r C hallen g e (HCASC). The tournament was held this year at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. Modeled after the College Bowl TV pro gram, students are quizzed on a variety of topics, including Afri can-American history, science and religion. The games are open to four-year, undergraduate stu dents enrolled in a black college or university. Honda is the exclu sive sponsor of the tournament, and has donated more than $2 million in grants to HBCUs since 1989. (> MRU \ \ VMERIl ANS ON A H ll I s DEALER MARKS F-SERIES BIRTHDAY Fords most popular selling vehicle, the F-series pick-up turns 50 this year, but hasnt lost its edge yet. I he F-Series was first introduced in 1948 and, to-date, 26 million of these trucks have been sold. In tact, for the last 16 years, the F-Series has outsold all cars and trucks of any kind, making it the longest-running, best-selling vehicle in the country. Io celebrate this golden birthday, Nathan Conyers, founder of Michigans oldest African-American-owned l ord dealership, gave a F-150 to an audience member of the Oprah Winfrey show. Conyers, brother of U.S. C ongressman John Conyers, opened his dealership in 1970. A call to the National Safe Kids Campaign (202-662-0600) can produce, “The Back Is Where It’s At?,” an in formative packet on proper use of seat belts and child safety' restraints. Stronger seat belts laws are in the works in many states. Studies show that in states with strong “primary'” enforce ment laws, where officers can stop a vehicle and issue ci tations for not wearing a belt, seat belt usage is greater, leading to fewer fatalities and injuries. VChile concerns have been raised that stronger enforce ment laws could lead to police harassment o f African Americans, so far this has not been reported. In fact, Afri can-American legislators were leading supporters o f re cently passed standard seat belt legislation in Louisiana, Maryland and Washington, D.C. To protect vourself and vour family remember: Kids Ride in the Back— infants should never ride in the front seat of a vehicle with a passenger side air bag and all children, typically ages 12 and under, should ride buckled in the back seat. Use Child Safety Seats— young children and infants should always ride in age and size appropriate child safety seats. Consult the instructions for proper use of these important restraints. Wear both Lip and shoulder belts— the shoulder strap should cross the collar bone and the lap belt should fit low and tight. Slipping the shoulder strap under the back or arm is dangerous, especially in vehicles with air bags. Move the front seats ¿//of—driver and front seat passen gers should move back as far as possible, especially shorter people. AFRK AN AMERICANSON WHEELS J1
