Chevrolet and Safe Kids Worldwide are delving into unusual territory - rap music - to reach kids with an important safety message. Hip-hop group Slum Village has joined in with Chevy and Safe Kids to create an original song targeted at 8-10 year-olds, urging them to ride in a backseat and use a booster seat when necessary
"Our partnership with Slum Village is a perfect way for Chevrolet to help Safe Kids do some really important work," explains Chevy General Manager Ed Peper. "The Slum Village guys are clever and hip and if we can reach kids by teaching them good safety habits through music the kids understand and enjoy, we have really made an important difference in their lives." The song - 4 Steps - was written by Slum Village members T3 and Elzhi.
Chevy will make the song available through web downloads as well as through CDs distributed by Safe Kids. Both members of the Hip Hop Duo say it's a project they think is important and that they're happy to help. "It's good to take a safety message and put it into a hip hop song, because hip hop is youthful," says Elzhi.
"Hip hop holds a lot of influence over kids. Some kids even want to be like us - to do what we do - so we hope they will listen to our message." Hearing these messages in a hip-hop song is designed to help change the minds of kids who have been reluctant to buckle up in the right restraint.
It will also provide parents with some needed support so kids are hearing these important messages from more than just parents and caregivers. Using music will also help Safe Kids and Chevy make a connection with families who have not been reached effectively in previous Child Passenger Safety Week campaigns. Research shows that Safe Kids events are successful at teaching parents how to keep their kids safe in a vehicle, but underserved families may not have the same access to these life-saving messages.
The song urges kids to "sit, pull, cross, click." And that kids "shouldn't hop in a ride without assist." Before going into the studio to create the song, T3 and Elzhi met with members of Chevrolet and Safe Kids to discuss what needed to be communicated.
According to Safe Kids, most parents are doing a great job when their children are infants and toddlers. But as kids get older, many are missing an important step when they move from toddler seats directly into an adult safety belt in a vehicle. Most kids less than 4'9" in height and 80 to 100 pounds do not fit in a safety belt properly without a booster seat.
The combination of the booster and safety belt will provide "tweens" in this height and weight range with the best protection in the event of a crash. Safe Kids recommends that parents take a simple "Safety Belt Fit Test" to determine whether their child is a booster seat candidate. "The idea of sitting on a booster seat up to fifth grade is a hard sell -- we realize that," says Lorrie Walker, child passenger safety technical advisor for Safe Kids Worldwide.
"But we've looked at the science and know that it's worth the effort to change kid's attitudes toward booster seats. They prevent injuries and save lives every day. We never want parents to wish they could have done something differently to protect their kids.
" To view a "making of the 4 Steps video," log on to and click on safety solutions. To download the song and take the "Safety Belt Fit Test," visit and click on Safe Kids Buckle Up. Chevrolet is General Motor's best selling brand.
With the largest dealer network in the United States, Chevy is the leader in full-size trucks and the leader in sales of vehicles priced $35,000 and above. Chevrolet delivers more-than-expected value in every vehicle category, offering cars and trucks priced from $9,995 to $78,175. Chevy delivers expressive design, spirited performance and great value with standard features usually found only on more expensive vehicles.
Safe Kids Buckle Up is a national program developed by Safe Kids Worldwide and sponsored by General Motors and Chevrolet to educate parents and caregivers about the importance of properly restraining children on every ride.
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