An analysis of the textbooks of five leading Midwest publishers revealed that (1) no safety measures were to be found in the regular basal reading textbooks; (2) safety was always treated as an extra, supplementary issue; (3) the opportunity to easily insert safety messages into regular texts and illustrations was overlooked; (4) the highly imaginative stories found in these books appealed to a child's use of imagination, but also reinforced the idea that risk and speed are magical; and (5) the illustrations in these textbooks were a prime resource that should be used to subtly suggest safety messages, but remain untapped. Safety behaviors can be learned only if children are provided with a concrete opportunity for genuine learning, not lectures. The traditional approach to safety has been ineffectual since safety has been taught in a supplementary fashion. It has been dutifully lectured at children, and children daily view crash scenes on television and in their books in which no one ever gets hurt. Consistent with the belief that behaviors are formed at an early age, the Accident Prevention Program of Chicago has addressed and been actively involved in providing effective legislation and media programs to the community to prevent disabling accidents. Their efforts thus far have included public service announcements, the insertion of safety messages into children's television programing, community workshops, safety conferences, information resources for schools, and support to legislative efforts consistent with their goals. (HOD)