Dex Tuttle, injury prevention program manager at Children’s Minnesota, received the Child Passenger Safety Star award from Minnesota Toward Zero Deaths (TZD), the state’s traffic safety program. The awards were presented in October at the 21st annual State TZD conference in St. Cloud.
Dex was recognized for leading the Making Safe Simple: on the way video, a project designed to educate all families how to properly install car seats and secure children to help prevent injuries from motor vehicle collisions. The video is part of the Making Safe Simple injury prevention series, produced by Children’s Minnesota. The videos use digital animation, art and positive messaging to give critical injury prevention information that families across cultures and languages can understand. Children’s Minnesota serves patients and families who speak more than 60 languages, underscoring the importance of the video series.
“Dex has a commitment to safeguarding children’s well-being, regardless of language or cultural barriers,” said Tara Helm, community programs and occupant protection manager at the Minnesota Safety Council.
In addition to the video project, Dex demonstrates his dedication through his teaching roles. He instructs CPS Technician, CARS/BEST and Safe Native American Passengers courses. Notably, he is the only instructor in Minnesota qualified to teach the Safe Travel for All Children course.
The TZD program aims to create a culture of safe driving with a vision of achieving zero road fatalities in Minnesota. It’s an interdisciplinary partnership led by the state departments of health, transportation and public safety. The TZD Star Awards acknowledge individuals who exhibit exceptional creativity, leadership, and the ability to inspire and collaborate with others to enhance traffic safety.
