National Child Passenger Safety Week
(September 23-29, 2018)
Seat Check Saturday
(September 29, 2018)
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of injury death for children 1 through 12 years old. Many deaths and injuries could be prevented if children were properly restrained in an appropriate child restraint.
Many parents and caregivers assume they know how to choose and use the correct child restraints for their children, but these restraints are frequently used incorrectly. The “Know for Sure – Is Your Child in the Right Car Seat?” campaign was developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Ad Council to make sure all parents and caregivers properly secure their children in the best car restraint for their age and size and use these devices properly. This campaign is being promoted to state and local child passenger safety advocates by the NYS Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee and the NYS Child Passenger Safety Advisory Board with support from the NYS Department of Health Bureau of Occupational Health and Injury Prevention and NYS Safe Kids Coalition.
There are a number of activities you can do in your community to disseminate this life-saving information during National Child Passenger Safety Week (and throughout the year) which include:
- Display posters in strategic locations typically accessed by parents and caregivers.
- Disseminate educational materials to parents and caregivers.
- Show car seat installation videos in patient or client waiting rooms.
- Post or disseminate a flyer of fitting stations and car seat events for your area.
- Post a link on your website to the NYS Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee’s website (www.safeny.ny.gov/seat-cal.htm) which includes a county listing of car seat inspection stations and check-up events.
- Post messages on your Facebook and Twitter accounts and/or include animated web banners, infographics, or videos on your website.
To request free educational materials, use this link. For questions or for additional information, contact Annie Scott at anne.scott@health.ny.gov or (518) 402-7900.
Interested in learning more about the importance of child passenger safety? Watch this recent webinar developed by NYSDOH in partnership with the Center for Public Health Continuing Education (CPHCE) at the University at Albany School of Public Health.
