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NEWS RELEASE
Tuesday, September 21, 2021
Georgia Kicking Off Annual National Child Passenger Safety Week
A week of awareness will conclude with Seat Check Saturday
(ATLANTA) The Governor's Office of Highway Safety is joining the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) to encourage parents and caregivers across Georgia to make sure their precious cargo is riding in a properly-installed car seat or booster seat. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has designated September 19-25 as National Child Passenger Safety Week and for this week, GOHS, DPH and certified CPS technicians have established COVID-19 protocols that will allow them to perform both virtual and socially-distanced seat inspections and installations.
CPS Week is dedicated to teaching parents and caregivers about the importance of correctly choosing, installing, and using car seats, booster seats, and seat belts because car crashes are still a leading cause of death for children. On average, an estimated 374 children were injured nationwide in traffic crashes every day in 2019. A total of 608 child passengers were killed in traffic crashes in 2019 and 38 percent of those children were unrestrained.
This year, educational events will be held throughout Georgia in local communities. DPH will be hosting either in-person or virtual events in Kingsland, Savannah, Americus, Riverdale, Commerce and Summerville. In-person events will include both community car seat checks and contactless daycare visits where transport vehicles will be made available to ensure car/booster seats are not damaged, recalled or expired and that seat belts are safely utilized.
In addition to instructing parents and caregivers on how to install and use car/booster seats correctly, technicians also help determine if children are in the right seat for their age, height and weight and explain the importance of registering car seats with their manufacturer to ensure recall notifications if they occur.
"We know parents and caregivers have a lot on their plates in 2021 so we hope CPS Week will provide an opportunity to ensure their children are safe in their car seats and booster seats to provide that extra peace of mind," Governor's Office of Highway Safety Director Allen Poole said. "Nobody ever wants to get it wrong when it comes to car seats and the safety of a child so we want them to know they have it right instead of just thinking they have it right."
Georgia state law requires children to be restrained in a car seat or booster seat appropriate for their height and weight until the age of 8. Why? Because research shows car seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent with infants and 54 percent with toddlers in passenger vehicles. In addition, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends keeping children rear-facing as long as possible, up to the top height or weight allowed by their particular seat. Once a child outgrows the rear-facing-only “infant” car seat, he/she should travel in a rear-facing “convertible,” or all-in-one car seat. Once a child outgrows the rear-facing size limits, the child is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness. After outgrowing the forward-facing car seat with harness, children should be placed in booster seats until they’re the right size to use seat belts safely. And if children are under 13 years old, they should always sit in the back seat.
"On average, more than half of the car seats technicians and law enforcement encounter on the road are installed incorrectly," said Traci Napier Reece, Program Manager for the Child Occupant Safety Program at the Georgia Department of Public Health. "While we're still in a pandemic, parents and caregivers are encouraged to contact a fitting station near them for a socially-distanced appointment to determine if their car seats and booster seats are installed correctly. And to make sure the seats they have are appropriate for their child's age and size."
Parents and caregivers looking for a local fitting station can visit http://www.gahighwaysafety.org/fitting-locations for a county-by-county list of stations and contact information to make an appointment. For more information on child passenger safety in Georgia, visit the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety website at www.gahighwaysafety.org or on our social media channels linked below.
(END RELEASE)
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