Contact: Andrew Turnage, CPS Coordinator – Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute
Phone: 678-413-4281 or toll-free at 1-800-342-9819
Web: www.ridesafegeorgia.org
CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY TECHNICIAN TRAINING AND FREE SEAT CHECK EVENT IN WAYCROSS, GEORGIA
Does your child ride in a car seat? Car seat or “child safety seat” use has risen to more than 89% in Georgia. Still, experts say over 80% of all child safety seats are being used incorrectly. Additionally, each child safety seat checked by trained Child Passenger Safety Technicians has an average of three errors that could result in injury or death to a child if the vehicle is involved in a crash. For parents in Ware County, help is on the way.
The University of Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute (GTIPI), part of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences Extension grant-funded by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, will conduct a Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) Training at Waycross College on April 5-7, 2011. Ware County EMS and Waycross College have partnered to host the course with UGA. Attendees will include personnel from the Georgia State Patrol, law enforcement, fire, EMS departments, and health departments.
Attendees of the four-day course will learn how to educate parents on correct use and installation of child safety seats. The course is taught by certified instructors using a standardized curriculum developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Following the training course, certified technicians will be able to continue providing child passenger safety efforts in their local communities. Training is just the beginning
“Among children ages 4 to 12 years old, motor vehicle crash injuries continue to be the leading cause of death nationally and in Georgia,” says Perry Blackburn, Paramedic at Ware EMS.
Georgia’s booster seat law, passed in 2000, requires all children under the age of six to be in a child safety seat appropriate for their age and weight. The Legislature recently passed a bill to raise that age requirement to eight, if it is signed into law by the Governor.
Connie Barefield at Ware County Health Department recommends parents keep kids in a booster seat until they reach four feet and nine inches tall, and that they ride in the back seat until age 13. “Use of booster seats by children 4 to 10 years old will significantly increase their chances of surviving,” Barefield said.
Help ensure your child’s safety by taking advantage of the child safety seat check event that will take place on Friday, April 8, 2011 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. at The Mall at Waycross (Hatcher Point) located at Hatcher Point Road and Memorial Drive.
The Ware County Health Department and the Waycross Police, Fire and EMS will host a second child safety seat check event on Saturday April 16, 2011 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Walgreens in Waycross
“The seat checks are free of charge and will take about 30 minutes,” says Andrew Turnage of UGA. “That’s time well spent for peace of mind,” Turnage says. “You’ll get the right information to keep your child safe.”
For more information about the seat check event, you can contact the following:
Ware County EMS – Perry Blackburn at (912) 287-4454
Ware County Health Department – Connie Barefield (912) 283-1875, ext 169
Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute – toll-free 1-800-342-9819
For more information on traffic safety, car seat installation tips, and child passenger safety resources, visit The University of Georgia’s Georgia Traffic Injury Prevention Institute’s website at http://www.ridesafegeorgia.org/.
03-31-11
18:15 hrs