Child passenger safety news you can use, Vol. 1, Issue 2 (May 2008)

FOR CPS ADVOCATES ACROSS GEORGIA

Injury Prevention Section, Child
Occupant Safety Program
Atlanta, GA

May 2008
Volume 1, Issue 2
Child Passenger Safety News You Can Use

Let's Keep Children and Families Safe in 2008 and Beyond!!

TEDDY BEAR STICKER PROGRAM: Fax Back Form, New Items & HOW TOs for 2008

The Child Occupant Safety Program would like to thank those
counties that have actively participated in the Teddy Bear Sticker Program in years past. Funded by the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, the Teddy Bear Sticker Program or TBS Program has been developed to help the Injury Prevention Section evaluate the success of its child restraint education and distribution program to Georgians. Child safety seats from the Teddy Bear Sticker Program are identified by the logo: "You Don't Have to Bear It Buckle Up" featuring a teddy bear with its arm in a sling. The sticker can be found easily on either side of the child safety seat.
`SAVES': Children Saved as a Result of CPS
Educational Intervention
Throughout 2007, there were over 340,000 crashes involving
motor-vehicles, many of which included children. Thankfully, the majority of the children involved in these crash events sustained little to no injuries thanks to restraint use. One aspect of supporting restraint use is the educational intervention that parents and caregivers received by attending a CPS class or car seat check up event. The Child Occupant Safety Program is proud to report that in 2007, 23 children were saved from injury as a result of this program; as identified by the placement teddy bear stickers on their child restraints. In particular, we'd like to highlight a motor-vehicle crash event that occurred in Coweta County involving three children who all escaped with minor injuries.

TBS Program FAX BACK FORM Due to several counties' participation in the Teddy Bear Sticker Program in FFY 2007, many are familiar with the reporting process when a child safety seat from the Child Occupant Safety Program is involved in a crash event. However, for those that are not familiar, there is a form entitled TEDDY BEAR STICKER FAX BACK FORM that must be completed in order for the family involved to receive a replacement seat. In addition to the fax back form, a police report must be provided. Once this form is completed, it can be faxed to our office at 404679-4975. Upon receipt, you will receive a replacement CSS as specified on the form, as well as educational incentive items for parents and caregivers that participate and complete a CPS class. The incentive items that the Child Occupant Safety Program offers are:
Bike/Skate Helmets Smoke Alarms Window Clings
Buckle-Up Frisbees Safety Coloring Books
As we move forward in 2008, we hope to see more involvement in the TBS Program as participation and `saves' are strong indicators of CPS educational success.

`SAVE' Highlight: COWETA COUNTY
On January 14, 2008 Linda Becham, CPS Coordinator for
Coweta County contacted the Child Occupant Safety Program and recounted the details of a motor-vehicle roll-over incident in Newnan, Georgia that involved a mother and her three children. Coweta County is located 40 miles southwest of Atlanta. She pointed out that the vehicle rolled over 7 times, but with the educational intervention the mother and family received, all three children walked away with only minor injuries. This was far from a solo effort. Many coalition members were involved in the child restraint education that the mother received including, Piedmont Hospital, Coweta County Sheriff's Office, and Coweta County Fire Department.

NEW ITEMS
Teddy Bear Sticker Poster The Child Occupant Safety Program is pleased to announce that new Teddy Bear Sticker Program Posters are here! Two changes to note on the poster are the new office number and fax number. Every county should have received a new poster with the public information and educational materials sent earlier in the year.
Occupant Safety Program Web Portal In order to facilitate submission of monthly reporting, the Child Occupant Safety Program is looking into the development of a web portal in which to enter monthly reports, order supplemental seats, and update child passenger safety technician information.

CPS News You Can Use Page 2

You're Invited to Participate in the Teddy Bear Sticker Program!!
WHO: EMS, Law Enforcement and Fire Department Personnel, Hospitals, Health Departments; Parents and Caregivers of Children in Georgia
WHAT: Child Occupant Safety Program's TEDDY BEAR STICKER PROGRAM or TBS PROGRAM
WHEN: Any crash involving children
WHERE: All counties in the State of Georgia
WHY: By participating in the Teddy Bear Sticker Program, counties will help the Child Occupant Safety Program document the effectiveness of a successful child restraint educational intervention and distribution program and help ensure its continued availability to all low-income Georgians. You will be supporting families that have been involved in a motor-vehicle crash in addition to acquiring educational items for your injury prevention program(s).
HOW: Your participation in the Teddy Bear Sticker Program begins when your agency responds to a motor-vehicle crash that has occurred in your county. This is followed by the completion of a TEDDY BEAR STICKER FAX BACK FORM and faxing it to the Child Occupant Safety Program at 404-679-4975. The form should be completed each time there is a motor-vehicle crash involving a child that should be in a child restraint. Note: Please remember to place a teddy bear sticker on all program-funded child restraints before distributing to parents/caregivers. Reporting helps the Child Occupant Safety Program
demonstrate the meaningful outcome of this program. Keep up the good work!

HOW TOs for 2008
Obtaining Your CPS Technician Card from the Safe Kids Website The Child Occupant Safety Program gets several inquiries from CPS coordinators on how to obtain one's CPST card from the Safe Kids website. After you log into your account, there is a list of "action items"; the option to print your wallet card is under the action item that reads "click here" for your wallet card/certificate. Obtaining Additional Child Occupant Safety Program Forms Should your agency deplete its supply of any forms (i.e.-Word formatted monthly report, supplemental seat request, TBS memo and fax back forms, etc.) related to the Child Occupant Safety Program, they can be downloaded from our website at: http://health.state.ga.us./programs/injuryprevention/occsafety.asp
* (Tip) Add web address to your favorites: 1) copy and past the web address into your web browser, 2)click on favorites and scroll down to add to your favorites, and 3) click OK.
Georgia Department of Human Resources Division of Public Health
The Injury Prevention Section's Child Occupant Safety Program is funded through a grant from the Governor's Office of Highway Safety.
STAFF
Sharon Conrad, Program Manager 404-679-4803, smconrad@dhr.state.ga.us
Marie Howard, Program Consultant 404-679-4976, mdhoward1@dhr.state.ga.us
Kyresa Westbrook, Program Consultant 404-679-0542, kxwestbrook@dhr.state.ga.us
2600 Skyland Drive, NE Atlanta, GA 30319 Fax: 404-679-4975
Email: injury@dhr.state.ga.us Web Address:
http://health.state.ga.us./programs/injuryprevention/occsafety.asp