We are pleased to present the Partners for Rural Traffic Safety Action Kit, a joint effort between the National Rural Health Association (NRHA) and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This Kit is a product of a 4-year cooperative agreement between NRHA and NHTSA in support of NHTSA’s Buckle Up America campaign and Safe Communities program.

If you live in a rural community, you should be concerned about the toll traffic crashes take on the health and well being of your family, friends and neighbors. Motor vehicle-related injuries and deaths are disproportionately higher in rural areas than in urban areas. A major reason for higher fatality and injury rates in rural areas is much lower use of seat belts and child safety seats. Considering other risks associated with rural driving, such as longer emergency response times and less access to trauma facilities, buckling up is a critical factor in surviving a rural roadway crash.

This Kit is a step-by-step “how to” guide for organizing and conducting a high profile 30-day community campaign to increase seat belt use and support for the enforcement of seat belt, child passenger safety, and other traffic safety laws.

• Training curriculum that uses community development models to create a project that is truly a “community affair”;
• Strategies for planning and conducting a campaign, field tested in 15 rural communities, that resulted in substantial increases in seat belt use; and
• Lists of resources and related materials to aid you in carrying out the campaign.

The goal of this Kit is to give rural health professionals and concerned community leaders the tools to conduct a meaningful and successful traffic safety project that will result in saving the lives of your friends, family, and neighbors. We hope that you reap the maximum benefit from the tools and strategies enclosed in this Kit.