WASHINGTON, May 13, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Safe Kids Worldwide
and Union Pacific Railroad today announced a series of new
initiatives in their partnership aimed at keeping children and
communities safer. The work is a continuation of their partnership
to raise awareness, educate families and prevent rail-related
injuries and deaths involving children.
"Every five days a child is killed in a train collision and almost
all of these tragedies are preventable."
Over the last three years, Union Pacific's support helped Safe
Kids Worldwide reach more than 10,000 individuals through direct
educational programming and activities associated with Scholastic's
Clifford the Big Red Dog. Traditional and social media awareness
efforts expanded the reach, leading to more than 265 million
impressions.
The new initiatives will be informed by the latest data and new
research to maximize the effectiveness of programs, such as a
public safety awareness campaign for parents to talk to their
children and a partnership hub with digital toolkits for educators,
partners and advocates.
"Every five days a child is killed in a train collision and
almost all of these tragedies are preventable," said Torine Creppy, president of Safe Kids Worldwide.
"Union Pacific has been a true partner in our efforts to prevent
these tragedies and we are grateful for their unwavering and
continuing commitment to finding new and innovative ways to reach
families, educate parents, and inspire communities to get
involved."
"Safety, from protecting communities and preventing rail
accidents, is our top priority and at the core of everything we do
at Union Pacific," said Scott Moore,
senior vice president - Corporate Relations and chief
administrative officer, and Union Pacific Foundation President. "We
are committed to continuing our work with Safe Kids Worldwide as we
make progress together in keeping children and communities across
the country safe."
In many communities, areas near train tracks are considered by
young people to be a popular place to "hang out." Many people,
including kids and adults, walk along the tracks, cut across them
as a short cut and pose for group photos and selfies on train
tracks – disregarding the dangers of such areas, such as trains are
at least three feet wider than the tracks on either side; modern
trains are quieter than many people might think; and once a train
starts to brake, it can take a mile for the train to stop
completely.
Between 2009 and 2019, 826 children died as a result of a
rail-related injury and more than 2,000 children were injured.
Trespass incidents make up 65 percent of these fatalities and 47
percent of the nonfatal injuries, with teens ages 15-19 being the
age group most frequently impacted.
Informed by the latest data and new research to be conducted by
Safe Kids, over the next three years, Safe Kids and Union Pacific
will focus on several new and existing initiatives, including:
- A new partner hub to provide digital toolkits to educators,
partners and community advocates;
- An engagement program to educate community influencers to help
raise awareness about rail safety in target communities;
- Continued engagement with Safe Kids coalitions around the
country;
- An education program to continue to engage teens through the
Rail Safety Service Learning project that inspires teens to serve
as role models by teaching younger students;
- A Start Safe Travel program to target parents and caregivers of
preschool-aged children;
- Distribution of Clifford the Big Red Dog book entitled
"Clifford and the Railroad Crossing" in target markets and readings
with Union Pacific employees at elementary schools. All in-person
events will adhere to CDC COVID-19 safety guidelines;
- Development of new "Chuggington: Tales from the Rails"
materials, reaching children on digital platform GoNoodle;
- A public awareness campaign during National Rail Safety Week in
September to encourage parents to learn the facts about rail safety
and talk to their teens.
"Thanks to the support of Union Pacific, we are already seeing
the impact of our work and more parents understand the importance
of talking with their kids about rail safety," said Creppy. "But we
are still seeing too many tragedies that can be prevented with the
right education, outreach and awareness efforts. We are eager to
continue our partnership with Union Pacific to expand and leverage
our evidence-informed programs and communication tools to get
life-saving information to the communities and families that need
it most."
ABOUT SAFE KIDS WORLDWIDE
Safe Kids Worldwide is a
nonprofit organization working to protect kids from preventable
injuries, the number one cause of death for children in
the United States. Safe Kids works
with an extensive network of more than 400 coalitions in the U.S.
and with partners in more than 30 countries to reduce traffic
injuries, drownings, falls, burns, poisonings and more. Safe Kids
also engages in advocacy efforts to make kids safer at the federal,
state and local levels. Since 1988, Safe Kids has helped reduce the
U.S. childhood death rate from unintentional injury by nearly 60
percent. Join our effort at safekids.org.
ABOUT UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD
Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP) delivers the goods families and
businesses use every day with safe, reliable and efficient service.
Operating in 23 western states, the company connects its customers
and communities to the global economy. Trains are the most
environmentally responsible way to move freight, helping Union
Pacific protect future generations. More information about Union
Pacific is available at www.up.com.
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SOURCE Safe Kids Worldwide