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September 14, 2022
                                                                                   
Contact:
Robert Hydrick
Communications Director
404.657.9078 (o) | 404.859.0141 (c)
robert.hydrick@gohs.ga.gov
 
 
Georgia Kicking Off National Child Passenger Safety Week
State and local partners remind parents and child caregivers to make sure their child’s seat is installed properly in order to provide the best protection in the event of a crash


 
(ATLANTA) –  Summer may be ending but this is the perfect time for children to fall into the right safety seat. The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS), Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and our partners encourage all parents and guardians to make sure their precious cargo is riding in an efficient car/ booster seat.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has designated September 18-24 as National Child Passenger Safety Week and for this week, GOHS, DPH and certified Child Passenger Safety technicians (CPSTs) are performing free safety seat checks throughout the state.

The GOHS/Georgia DPH Child Occupant Safety Project (COSP) will be holding free seat checks in selected areas around Georgia during the week. The seat checks will start on Monday, September 19th in Cairo, Wednesday, September 21st in Hinesville, and Thursday, September 22nd in Augusta. 

Georgia law requires all children under eight years of age to ride in safety seat that meets the seat’s manufacturer guidelines for that child based on their height and weight. State law also requires children under 57 inches to ride in the back seat of a vehicle and all children under 16 must wear a seat belt whether no matter where they are riding in a vehicle.  

“A majority of child safety seats found on the road are not properly installed and could cause the seat to not work as designed to protect a child in the event of a crash,” Allen Poole, Director of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety said. “While we hope no one is ever in a traffic crash, having a child safety seat checked regularly assures parents and child caregivers that their precious passengers will be properly restrained in the event of a crash.”

Unfortunately, car crashes are a leading cause of death for children. On average, two children under 13 were killed and an estimated 374 were injured every day in 2019 while riding in cars, SUVs, pickups and vans.  According to NHTSA, 608 child passenger vehicle occupants died in traffic crashes in 2019 and  38% of those children were unrestrained to compared to 33% in 2018.  

During the child safety seat assessments, child passenger safety technicians will: check to see if the seat is installed properly, ensure the child safety seat is not under a recall and show parent(s)/caregiver(s) how to secure the child in the safety seat. CPSTs will also gather information about child occupants from the vehicle owner to make certain the child safety seat is appropriate for the size and age of the child. 

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.

 
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