The use of restraints in motor vehicles is less common in minority and low-income populations than in the general population. A preliminary survey of Hispanic preschool-aged children in west Dallas, Tex, conducted in 1997 showed much lower child restraint use (19% of those surveyed) than among preschool children of all races in the rest of the city (62%). Because there are few reports of successful programs to increase child restraint use among Hispanics, we undertook to implement and evaluate such a program. The program was conducted by bilingual staff and was tailored for this community. It was successful in increasing both child restraint use and driver seat belt use.

BackgroundFew studies have examined the impact of community-based smoke alarm (SA) distribution programmes on the occurrence of house fire-related deaths and injuries (HF-D/I).ObjectiveTo determine whether the rate of HF-D/I differed for programme houses that had a SA installed through a community-based programme called Operation Installation, versus non-programme houses in the same census tracts that had not received such a SA.MethodsTeams of volunteers and firefighters canvassed houses in 36 high-risk target census tracts in Dallas, TX, between April 2001 and April 2011, and installed lithium-powered SAs in houses where residents were present and gave permission. We then followed incidence of HF-D/I among residents of the 8134 programme houses versus the 24 346 non-programme houses.ResultsAfter a mean of 5.2 years of follow-up, the unadjusted HF-D/I rate was 68% lower among residents of programme houses versus non-programme houses (3.1 vs 9.6 per 100 000 population, respectively; rate ratio, 0.32; 95% CI 0.10 to 0.84). Multivariate analysis including several demographic variables showed that the adjusted HF-D/I rate in programme houses was 63% lower than non-programme houses. The programme was most effective in the first 5 years after SA installation, with declining difference in rates after the 6th year, probably due to SAs becoming non-functional during that time.ConclusionsThis collaborative, community-based SA installation programme was effective at preventing deaths and injuries from house fires, but the duration of effectiveness was less than 10 years.

The Safe Communities approach was successful in promoting the use of child restraints in motor vehicles through a multifaceted intervention that included efforts in various community settings, instructional classes and child safety seat distribution.

Expressways are the predominant site of fatal pedestrian crashes among young adults in this urban area. Since many of these deaths were "unintended pedestrians," procedures for management of occupants of disabled vehicles on expressways could have a large impact on pedestrian deaths in young adults.

BackgroundThe Injury Prevention Center of Greater Dallas, Texas (IPC) was established in 1994, and Dallas became the first WHO designated Safe Community in the U.S. in 1996. The IPC has used the Safe Communities model approach, has worked with >100 different organisations and agencies, and has promoted coalitions and community groups that are engaged in injury prevention. The IPC has devoted much of its effort toward prevention of Motor Vehicle Crash (MVC) and Residential Fire-related deaths and injuries in Dallas County.MethodsWe compared the change in deaths rates (per 100 000 pop.) from vital statistics between 1994–96 and 2004–06, for MVC deaths and Fire-related deaths. Dallas County rates were compared to rates in Harris County (Houston) and Bexar County (San Antonio), the primary counties for the two other largest metro areas in Texas.ResultsMVC Death rates in Dallas County decreased from 16.1 to 13.1 (down 18%) between 1994–96 and 2004–06 (p<0.05), and Fire-related death rates decreased by 48% (p<0.05), both of which were greater than either Harris or Bexar counties, the state of Texas as a whole, or the U.S. as a whole.ConclusionSecular trend evidence indicates that MVC and Fire-Related deaths have declined substantially during the time of a Safe Communities Model effort in Dallas County, which focused on those areas. While we recognise that secular trend comparisons do not prove effectiveness, the results are consistent with a beneficial impact of the Safe Communities program in Dallas.