BURRILLVILLE – The Buckleupallofus Child Passenger Safety Campaign is gaining traction here in Rhode Island and other nearby New England states, and that includes the town of Putnam, Conn.
Putnam Police Chief Chris Ferace has been a longtime supporter of the award-winning, child passenger and vehicle safety campaign for kids and families in his community, which began reaching out to automotive enthusiasts at Putnam car shows and weekly cruise nights with the showcase attraction of the giant Buckleupallofus cold air inflatable balloon in his town. In the past, Connecticut State Police have also sent state troopers and their mobile Convincer ride in support, and to partner with the Buckleupallofus kids safety campaign, which simulates the feel of a vehicle impact caused at just 25-miles-per-hour to car shows in that state. Ferace is taking advantage of a very popular car show today, which fills the downtown area of Putnam with hundreds of classic cars and trucks on display and thousands of spectators attending, to remind everyone about the importance of wearing seatbelts and to remind adults about safely restraining toddlers and children in backseats of family vehicles.
The Putnam Police Department has an auxiliary exhibition that will display their brand new Buckleupallofus Child Passenger Safety Campaign full color banner and posters along with their new fridge magnets and coloring posters, which they will be handing out to kids and adults that visit their exhibit all day long. The police officers frequently attend the weekly Tuesday charity classic car show located at the Crossings Restaurant and Centredale Bank parking lot in Putnam, passing out Buckleupallofus safety items and materials to the kids. The officers stay for photo opportunities to show their continued support for the popular safety campaign.
Police departments across the region are also distributing Buckleupallofus kids safety coloring posters at their National Night Out community events this week, reminding kids and families about the importance of properly installed car seats and booster seats and buckling children up safely in backseats of family vehicles. Many police departments are also gearing up for the start of the new school year next month and preparing for National Child Passenger Safety Week, which starts on September 15 and ends on Saturday, Sept. 21, by requesting information about purchasing their own personalized Buckleupallofus display banners, wall posters, fridge magnets and coloring posters for their cities, towns and communities. The Buckleupallofus Cops & Rodders Campaign is in high gear now here and coast-to-coast at car shows and cruise nights in multiple states including Minnesota, Nevada, Arizona, New York, Maryland, Florida and California, with an emphasis on reaching kids and families about buckle up and vehicle safety during the end of August, and especially during the month of child passenger safety focus month, September. The U.S. Department of Transportation and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration declared the dates for National Child Passenger Safety Week, but educational and awareness outreach takes place all month long.
Both federal agencies have presented awards honoring the continued successful creative efforts of the Buckleupallofus Child Passenger Safety Campaign across New England and nationwide. Buckleupallofus is quickly becoming recognized as a very popular cartoon character dinosaur, with a seatbelt for a tail child passenger safety mascot, with police departments and first responders everywhere utilizing related educational and awareness materials helping to keep kids safer here and across America.
Jim Weicherding is a Burrillville resident, and the founder and creator of an award-winning traffic safety effort Seasons of Safety. Weicherding contributes kids’ coloring cartoons, which can be printed and used to help parents discuss safety issues with their children. He has a long list of police officers and firefighters in his family and has worked with law enforcement and firefighters in a creative public safety capacity for more than two decades.
