Today, Wanda Vasquez, a Chicago traffic safety instructor, will be honored at the White House as a “Champion of Change” for providing Latinos with information on how to reduce car-related fatalities in their communities.
“As a motivational instructor, she teaches students how to correctly install car seats and help families understand the importance of safe transportation for their children,” said a White House statement.
Vasquez, along with 11 other individuals in the field of transportation, were awarded for their “exemplary leadership” in transportation.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration NHTSA reported a total of 33, 561 traffic related fatalities in the U.S. in 2012, 1,082 more than the previous year.
“Statistics show that Hispanic children are at a greater risk than non-Hispanic children for injuries and death in traffic crashes because their restraint use is low,” the White House statement about Vazquez said. “Often times this is because their parents are from home countries where car seat use is not the norm.”
By providing simple instructions such as showing Latino parents how to install car seats properly, Vasquez and other car safety instructors have taken steps forward to help prevent car-related fatality numbers to increase. Another important teaching that Vasquez provides is the danger of texting and driving, something that is commonly seen within every community in this country nowadays.
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