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  1. #1
    Senior Member butterbean's Avatar
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    Language, Culture Are Cited As Barriers To Auto Safety

    http://www.dailybreeze.com/news/articles/1587151.html

    Language, culture are cited as barriers to auto safety

    During the California Highway Patrol's Click It or Ticket campaign to enforce seat belt laws, many Latinos are found to be in violation. Officials are trying to raise awareness.

    By Josh Grossberg
    Daily Breeze

    Gardena police officer Mike Sargent drove up and down Western Avenue peering into other cars to see who was wearing a seat belt. Those who weren't were quickly pulled over and cited.

    Sargent found so many violators Friday morning -- 19 in under five hours -- that he barely had time to buckle up himself. That his task during the national Click It or Ticket program was so easy shows there are still plenty of people who haven't gotten the message about essential driving safety.

    And while Sargent ticketed people of all backgrounds, one group remains consistently resistant to easily used safety measures. Because of language and cultural differences, Latinos are more likely to disregard things like seat belts and child safety seats than the rest of the population.

    Consider these examples involving people with Latino surnames:

    • In April, a Wilmington woman was charged with murder following a crash in Carson that killed her 3-year-old son. The woman had been cited repeatedly for failing to secure her children in car safety seats.

    • Last year, a 15-year-old Gardena High School student died when a car he was riding in lost control on a Torrance street. He was the car's only passenger not wearing a seat belt.

    • In 2003, a 3-year-old boy was killed when a car he was riding in was hit from behind by a San Pedro man. The boy was riding unrestrained in the car.

    While second- and third-generation Latinos are perfectly familiar with the rules of the road, a constant influx of immigrants often comes from countries where safety laws are more relaxed.

    "We have a recently arrived immigrant community," said Jose Eucles, a spokesman for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. "I'm from Honduras. It's not the law there that people need to buckle up. It's not in Guatemala or Bolivia. The laws in some of these countries are not as strict."

    According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, car accidents were the third leading cause of death for Hispanics ages 35 to 44 in 2002, the latest year statistics are available. For the general population of the same age group, accidents are the ninth leading cause of death.

    A 1998 study that showed Hispanic children ages 5-12 are 72 percent more likely to die in a traffic accident than non-Hispanic whites of the same age. The study was done by the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

    And while traffic deaths for non-Hispanic white children has declined slightly in recent years, the number continues to climb for Latino children.

    To help combat the problem, a wide variety of government, law enforcement and community outreach groups are getting the word out.

    "We're talking about newly arrived immigrants and people who haven't lived in the country long," said Irene Rodriguez, director of safety programs for the National Latino Children's Institute. "We need to teach them about using seat belts and safety seats."

    The institute runs a program called "Corazon de Mi Vida," or "Heart of My Life," which not only distributes information but also helps low-income families acquire child safety seats. They are also available from many hospitals.

    Rodriguez said that several factors put Latino families at greater risk. For starters, newly arrived immigrants often share one car among several people, she said.

    "Latinos will have more occupants in a vehicle than seat belts available," she said. "A lot of times, that's the only vehicle they have. Grandparents, the aunt, uncle, they need the transportation. And they are willing to help their neighbors. We try to get them to think about options."

    Rodriguez said there's also an impression in the Latino community that a parent can do a better job protecting a child than a safety seat.

    "We did a study," she said. "In the Latino culture, a mom wants to hold her baby. For a mother, especially when the baby is small, to put him in the back seat, the thinking is you're not a good mother. That is changing, but the sense is if the child is here with me, I can hold the baby in a crash. But the forces that occur in the crash, no way they can hold their baby."

    Since 1986, the California Highway Patrol has run the El Protector program that seeks to stem the instance of drunken drivers among Latinos. "Part of what we found is the machismo," officer Ricardo Quintero said. "It's not so prevalent now, but it's still there. It's a male dominated society and it's difficult to be told by other people that, 'Hey, you can't drive.' The problem with that is the sheer danger they put their families through by doing this."

    Education is the key and the department has made progress, Quintero said.

    "The program has made huge strides, but it's not something that can be done and stopped," he said. "We have to continually go out and be in the areas."

    The Los Angeles Police Department has a similar program called El Protector Azul. At the South Traffic Division, which includes San Pedro, Wilmington, Harbor City and Harbor Gateway, officers teach children about traffic laws before they get behind the wheel, Sgt. John B. Wilson said.

    "We target the non-English-speaking community," he said. "They have the basic understanding of traffic laws, but not a good grasp of it like someone from this country. The driving test gives you the basics, but it doesn't give enough for a person who is just coming into this country as opposed to someone living here their whole lives."

    One of the people ticketed by officer Sargent was Julio Flores. The Walnut resident said that after receiving a ticket that will set him back $89 for a first offense, he'll be more careful about strapping himself in.

    "I make 25 stops a day," he said. "It's hard, but I'll have to be more careful."

    For Rodriguez of the National Latino Children's Institute, words like that are exactly what she wants to hear.

    "Nobody ever thinks they're going to be involved in a crash," she said. "They need to be informed so they can make educated decisions."
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  2. #2
    Senior Member Brian503a's Avatar
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    Who are we to tell these people what to do. Their laws and culture are different, and they shouldn't be subjected to our laws. Besides they came into the country illegally, so why should they start obeying any other laws. If the U.S. isn't going to deport them it looks like their numbers may get thinned by stupidity instead.
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  3. #3
    Senior Member jp_48504's Avatar
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    Who are we to tell these people what to do. Their laws and culture are different, and they shouldn't be subjected to our laws. Besides they came into the country illegally, so why should they start obeying any other laws.
    That’s what our elected officials seem to believe.
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  4. #4
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    More TAX PAYERS DOLLARS........
    To help combat the problem, a wide variety of government, law enforcement and community outreach groups are getting the word out.

    "We're talking about newly arrived immigrants and people who haven't lived in the country long," said Irene Rodriguez, director of safety programs for the National Latino Children's Institute. "We need to teach them about using seat belts and safety seats."
    NO.........we're talking about ILLEGAL ALIENS WHO DON'T BELONG HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE!!
    Join our efforts to Secure America's Borders and End Illegal Immigration by Joining ALIPAC's E-Mail Alerts network (CLICK HERE)

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