Buckle up, kids! Hollywood's depiction of car safety for children is evolving

Illustration by Katie Miller

Characters in children's movies are wising up about personal safety -- increasingly using seat belts, bike helmets and crosswalks -- but many still aren't ideal role models, a government study says.

Although the trend may reflect efforts by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and other groups to get Hollywood to convey positive public health messages, the study shows these efforts haven't been universally endorsed.

For example, in the 2003 Christmas movie "Elf," a New York City taxi knocks down actor Will Ferrell's character as he is crossing the street. He bounces back up without a scratch -- but at least he was walking in a crosswalk.

The study's lead author, CDC researcher Jon Eric Tongren, says the scene minimizes the accident's dangers and may give young children a false sense of safety.

And in the 2005 comedy "Yours, Mine and Ours," about a family with 18 kids, the children are wearing life jackets during a boat trip -- but not the parents.

The two films were among 67 popular movies from 2003 to 2007 examined in the study. The movies were rated G, for general audiences, or PG, parental guidance suggested. Results were compared with two previous CDC studies and were published this month in the medical journal Pediatrics.

Among the findings, compared with the studies from 1998-2002 and 1995-97:
• 56 percent of car passengers wore seat belts, versus 35 percent and 27 percent
• 35 percent of characters used crosswalks, versus 15 percent and 16 percent
• 25 percent of bicyclists wore helmets, versus 15 percent and 6 percent
• 75 percent of boaters wore life jackets, versus none and 17 percent

Some unsafe behavior increased, including riding motorcycles without a helmet.

Joan Graves, ratings chief at the Motion Picture Association of America, says movies tend to reflect what's going in real life. She cited widespread seat belt laws, helmet use and awareness about the dangers of drunken driving as cultural trends that have affected movie plot lines.

Everyone is buckled up in a still from the 2005 movie "Are We There Yet?" starring Ice Cube. (Sony Pictures)

The CDC and other public health groups have urged film and TV producers to convey accurate and safe health messages because mass media has such a powerful influence on behavior -- especially children's, Tongren says. He encourages parents to make sure their kids understand what's safe and unsafe in TV and movie action.

The University of Southern California's Hollywood, Health & Society program is one way the CDC and others have reached the industry. The program links producers and writers with health experts and reference material on a variety of topics, although it doesn't pitch specific story lines, program director Sandra Buffington says.

Tongren says the entertainment industry "seems to be coming around. We would hope that they continue" to do so.