GEORGIA CELEBRATES CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY
Car crashes are the Number One Killer of America’s children between the age of two-and-fourteen.. Taking more lives than disease, violence and suicide combined. And across this country in 2005, an average of five children, ages 14 and younger were killed and 640 more were injured in motor vehicle crashes every single day,” said Director Bob Dallas of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety. “That’s why we have worked so hard on Child Passenger Safety Week in Georgia in coordination with Child Passenger Safety Awareness in 2007.”
“We’re here to help save young lives from needless harm,” said GOHS Director Dallas. “And that’s what child safety seats are designed to do. If parents will just use their safety seats correctly, they can significantly reduce the risk of fatal injury for infants and toddlers involved in motor vehicle crashes.” Seventy-five percent of those injury crashes occur within just 5 miles of home.
The good news is there’s now dramatic new evidence from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that child safety seats are proven life-savers. The new NHTSA study shows that during the past 20 years, approximately 7,500 young lives have been saved in this country by the proper use of child restraints. “But there are still too many kids out there at risk,” said Director Dallas. “Not enough kids are buckled-up.”
Even though parents report car safety seat use among their most commonly discussed topics, safety experts continue to find four-out-of-five car safety seats are installed improperly. “That’s why we have plenty of experts on hand to correct those problems at fire stations and other volunteer locations across the state,” said Dallas. GOHS trained technicians will also help drivers verify their compliance with Georgia’s state law that requires all children under six to be secured in a car safety seat or a booster seat appropriate for the child’s height and weight.
The facts are clear—children who do not use child passenger safety seats are three times more likely to be injured than those buckled-up in safety seats. Children who are ejected during a vehicle crash are four times more likely to be killed by injuries after the ejection or by the vehicle rolling over them. Police statewide conduct high-visibility child safety seat enforcement campaigns on Georgia highways to give a boost to the battle to protect our children on the road.
For maximum child passenger safety, parents and caregivers need to remember and follow these Four Steps for Kids:
1) For the best possible protection keep infants in the back seat, in
rear-facing child safety seats, as long as possible up to the height or
weight limit of the particular seat. At a minimum, keep infants rear-facing
until a minimum of age 1 and at least 20 pounds;
2) When children outgrow their rear-facing seats (at a minimum age 1 and
at least 20 pounds) they should ride in forward-facing child safety seats,
in the back seat, until they reach the upper weight or height limit of
the particular seat (usually around age 4 and 40 pounds);
3) Once children outgrow their forward-facing seat (usually around age
4 and 40 pounds), they should ride in booster seats, in the back seat,
until the vehicle seat belts fit properly. Seat belts fit properly when
the lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across
the chest (usually at age 8 or when they are 4’9” tall);
4) When children outgrow their booster seats, (usually at age 8 or when
they are 4’9” tall) they can use the adult seat belt in the
back seat, if it fits properly (lap belt lays across the upper thighs
and the shoulder belt across the chest).
“And this year, during Child Passenger Safety Week, we worked hard
to remind all parents, grandparents and child care providers that if their
children are under 4’9”, they need to be in a booster seat,”
said Director Dallas. “As more parents and caregivers learn about
child safety seats, we hope to see fewer child fatalities in Georgia.
So, if you love your kids, have a heart and buckle them up in a safety
seat. What better way to show you love your children than to make sure
they are secured properly.”
For details on other child safety seat check events and inspection stations in your community, visit our website at www.gahighwaysafety.org or contact Amy Edwards at aedwards@gohs.ga.gov.
