Matt Ryan releases new Clifford book on car safety

Clifford, the big red dog is a popular children’s book series that has provided sound advice to generations of young readers and families. Since its first publication in 1963, Clifford, the series’ title character, has become a symbol of comfort and fun with simple, educational messages.

Now, Clifford fans near and far can look forward to a brand new entry in the series, coming July 18th and titled Clifford takes a rideThis new adventure follows Clifford and his friends on a journey to learn life-saving safety tips in and around cars.

This is the latest book in a series of safety rule books designed especially for children featuring Clifford and his friends – the following titles Clifford takes a walk (for safety when crossing the street), Clifford goes swimming (about safety in the swimming pool) and Clifford and the railroad crossing (on safety when dealing with trains and railways).

But this latest book won’t be a standalone product. It’s part of a federal child safety campaign co-sponsored by Scholastic, Mercedes-Benz USA and the nonprofit Safe Kids Worldwide. They’re calling it the Book and Safety Tour.

To kick things off in an interactive way, a community safety event will be held at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium on release day. Organizers expect 500 YMCA campers to attend. They’ll be treated to a book reading by former NFL quarterback Matt Ryan, a special appearance by Clifford, and a series of interactive safety training stations on passenger, pedestrian, and bicyclist safety.

They also plan to distribute 30,000 free copies of Clifford takes a ride During the campaign, gifts were distributed to families across the country through Mercedes-Benz dealers and Safe Kids Worldwide coalitions.

Matt Ryan places the highest priority on safety in his community

Because the Clifford books are so well known across generations, former NFL quarterback Matt Ryan is excited to help bring the new story to caregivers.

“My wife and I especially love that the (Clifford) stories are funny and relatable, while also teaching an important lesson each time,” says Ryan Parents. “Clifford takes a ride makes it easy for young children to learn about car safety, and it offers parents and educators great tips to help children understand why these topics are so important in their daily lives.

Ryan calls Atlanta home, which makes it easy for him to get involved as a Mercedes-Benz ambassador in his community.

“Giving back to the community, and especially young children, has always been a passion of mine,” says Ryan. “I am thrilled to be part of this initiative that helps raise awareness about the importance of car safety.”

Ryan talks about his role, which involves not only raising awareness through community events, but also continuing to lead by example within his own family, where he says safety is a top priority.

“We always buckle up properly before the car starts and make sure the seat belts are fastened even when the car is not moving,” he says. “We watch our surroundings before crossing the street and wait for the driver to say we can open the door once the car is parked. We follow our family car rules in every car, even if others don’t have the same safety rules.”

Comparing the safety measures required on the NFL football field to the safety measures required in a car, Ryan says both require constant awareness of the environment, quick decision-making and anticipation of potential dangers.

“On the field, you read defensive strategies and react to quick moves – in the car, you not only watch the traffic and pay attention to signals, but you are also responsible for the safety of the passengers,” he emphasizes.

At the book launch and interactive safety event in Atlanta, Ryan will provide children with safety lessons, including a bike rodeo and fitting a helmet that they can take home. Attendees will also experience a crosswalk demo to learn pedestrian life-saving skills and participate in car seat training.

“I hope every child leaves the event feeling better about their car and their community and having gained new safety skills that they can pass on to their friends and family,” says Ryan.

Make safety unforgettable

Through the initiative, Safe Kids Worldwide’s goal is to ensure children are taught in a fun and memorable way – and Clifford is the catalyst for that.

“At Safe Kids, we do our best to keep children safe at home, at school, at play and on the go,” says Torine Creppy, President of Safe Kids Worldwide Parents. “What do children do? They drive, somewhere, sometime, every day.”

Creppy is proud to present the families with the book, which she said the organization co-wrote with publisher Scholastic, and hopes it can be another tool to advance efforts to prevent unintentional injuries in children.

“Whether the children are traveling in a car, bus or Uber, it is important that they buckle up every time they travel,” she says.

She praises the interactive safety event that runs alongside the book launch, calling it her way of bringing the book to life for children. She hopes that both the “book experience” and the book and safety tour will help convey the information to families in a fun way.

Creppy also praises the Mercedes-Benz volunteers who support Atlanta communities through the local school system. Through their own work with local schools, Safe Kids seized the opportunity to partner with Mercedes-Benz to, as Creppy puts it, “close the education gap” that is the cause of some unintentional injuries to children in vehicles.

One of the challenges to ensuring that families not only absorb but continue to use the important car safety practices learned in the book is the technological advances in cars and car seats. The advances could give caregivers a false sense of security, leading to laxity in approaching things like personal safety checks. Creppy ensures that they are strategic as educators by staying up to date.

“We do extensive academic research on new technologies that are coming to market,” says Creppy. “We’re evidence-based, not just evidence-informed. And (we collect data on) every car seat and every car make and model to give families real-time information on how to get them to work properly.”

Another challenge they face is inequities in the communities they serve. Creppy recognizes the importance of identifying resource and education gaps in underserved communities that can have disproportionate impacts.

“To trust you with security, people need to understand what you’re saying in clear language,” Creppy notes. “They also need to know what it means to be fair. Giving everyone a pair of shoes may be fair – but if the shoes don’t fit, that’s not fair.”

A third challenge – which is actually addressed in Clifford takes a ride– there is a very real possibility that caregivers will be tempted by conveniences, such as leaving the child in the car while you make a quick trip to the store. Creppy urges caregivers to resist this, saying children should not be left in the car, “not even for a minute.”

She also shares an acronym used at Safe Kids Worldwide to help families remember the steps they should take instead: ACT– stands for Avoid (convenience that can lead to harm), Create (reminders of the rules for yourself and your children), Act (when you see something is wrong, such as a child or pet left alone in another car).

Creppy says that our brains, especially when we’re in a hurry, can so easily switch to “autopilot” that we can’t afford to resort to conveniences that can lead to unintentional injuries in the car.

A “social responsibility” for safety

Mercedes-Benz President and CEO Dimitris Psillakis says Parents about partnering with Safe Kids Worldwide to educate families about car safety, which he calls part of their “larger mission of corporate social responsibility.” He sees the collaboration as a natural choice given the organization’s tireless commitment to protecting children in all environments.

They point to internal data showing that 607 children were killed and over 63,000 others were injured in car crashes in 2020. This inspired both Mercedes-Benz and Safe Kids Worldwide to join forces to provide safety training to caregivers nationwide.

“We believe that by educating children and their families about safety at an early age, we not only save lives but also promote a culture of safety that we hope will endure for generations to come,” says Psillakis.

“From here (in Atlanta), our Book and Safety Tour will stop in additional communities across the country with the support of Safe Kids Worldwide and our MBUSA volunteers,” Psillakis added. “We are committed to ongoing safety education and will continue to work with our partners and engage in our communities across the country.”