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311003148
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National Child Passenger Safety Awareness Day [1984]
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311003148
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National Child Passenger Safety Awareness Day [1984]
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Records of the White House Correspondence Office
Proclamations Files
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Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
Digital Library Collections
This is a PDF of a folder from our textual collections.
Collection: Correspondence, White House Office of:
Records, 1981-89
Folder Title: National Child Passenger Safety Awareness
Day
Box: Box 75(1984)
To see more digitized collections visit:
https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/digitized-textual-material
To see all Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Inventories, visit:
https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/white-house-inventories
Contact a reference archivist at: [email protected]
Citation Guidelines: https://reaganlibrary.gov/archives/research-
support/citation-guide
National Archives Catalogue: https://catalog.archives.gov/
Last Updated: 05/3/2023
MASSACHUSETTS THE UNITED
THE
OF
SEAL
National Child Passenger Safety
Awareness Day, 1984
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Now that school sessions have come to a close and many families are preparing for summer
vacations, it is especially appropriate to remind all Americans of the importance of child
passenger safety. Children who are not buckled into child safety seats or safety belts are
subject to great risks of serious injury in motor vehicle accidents because their less developed
bodies afford them little protection.
It is a tragic fact that motor vehicle collisions are the primary cause of death and crippling
injuries for children in the United States. From 1978 through 1982, nearly 3,400 children under
five years old were killed in motor vehicle collisions, and more than 230,000 others were
seriously injured. All Americans must do their best to reduce these senseless tragedies.
Fortunately, in the last few months, much has been done to protect young children travelling
by car. We know that the proper use of child safety seats reduces the risk of death by up to 90
percent and can prevent up to 67 percent of all injuries. Through the voluntary efforts of many
individuals and citizens groups, 47 States and the District of Columbia have recently enacted
mandatory child restraint laws. Unfortunately, surveys show that only 40 percent of children
under five years old are being protected by child safety seats and that 70 percent of the seats
are not being used properly. In order to emphasize the importance of correct installation and
use of child safety seats, many private and public organizations alike are initiating education-
al programs to achieve that end. For example, the National Automobile Dealers Association,
the National Child Passenger Safety Association, and the American Academy of Pediatrics
are currently sponsoring child safety clinics throughout the Nation to check on and demon-
strate the correct use and installation of child restraint systems.
It is particularly vital for parents to understand the special risk which their children face as
motor vehicle passengers and to educate their children about the importance of child safety
seats each time they ride in the car. As adults, we all should remember that our own use of
safety belts in our car can be a particularly good lesson for our children.
To emphasize the combined efforts of government and private sector organizations to promote
child passenger safety throughout our Nation, the Congress, by Senate Joint Resolution 289,
has authorized and requested the President to issue a proclamation designating June 18, 1984,
as "National Child Passenger Safety Awareness Day."
NOW, THEREFORE, I, RONALD REAGAN, President of the United States of America, do
hereby proclaim June 18, 1984, as National Child Passenger Safety Awareness Day. I encour-
age all Americans to observe this occasion by participating in appropriate programs, ceremo-
nies and activities to educate motor vehicle drivers about the tragic consequences of
neglecting the safety of our children when they travel by automobile.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 18th day of June, in the year of our
Lord nineteen hundred and eighty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of
America the two hundred and eighth.
Ronald Reagon