Toyota today announced that it is stepping up its efforts in partnership with Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center to address the disproportionate mortality rates for African American and Hispanic children in motor-vehicle accidents.

The car company and the hospital are seeking to double the reach of their joint national program "Buckle Up for Life", aka Abróchatea laVida , which examines the cultural, economic, and language factors thought to be behind the higher death rates.

The hospital has carried out its own study on the subject. Among the findings it claims is that three out of every four car seats are improperly installed or used. The hospital also claims that 50 percent of fatally-injured children were unrestrained at the time of impact.

Buckle Up for Life already exists in Chicago, Cincinnati, Los Angeles and San Antonio; and the new push brings it to Houston, Las Vegas, Philadelphia and Orange County. It focuses on local outreach through churches and hospitals. Program specialists work closely with participants to deliver safety information in "an engaging, culturally sensitive and memorable way".  Those who take part in the program are eligible to receive free car seats that they are assisted in installing.

"Years ago, a mother who was involved in a car crash in which her child died said something to me that to this day haunts me but also inspires me, 'If I only knew,'" Dr Victor Garcia, founding director of Trauma Services at the hospital and co-founder of Buckle Up for Life, said in a statement. "The number of African American and Hispanic children dying unnecessarily in motor vehicle-related crashes is alarming, something I see first hand in my work as a trauma surgeon. This is a public health emergency that can be avoided and needs to be addressed. We know that safety education and access to car seats can make a major difference, and working with Toyota, we are glad to have the opportunity to help."

"At Toyota, we are strongly committed to the belief that everyone deserves to be safe," said Patricia Salas Pineda, Toyota's group vice president of national philanthropy.  "Buckle Up for Life is a vital commitment for Toyota, and we are proud to be working with the visionary medical staff at Cincinnati Children's and with local hospital partners across the country to expand its reach."

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