Keeping kids safe in motor vehicles on every ride

Keeping Kids Safe in Motor Vehicles on Every Ride
The Georgia Department of Public Health's Office of Injury Prevention houses the Child Occupant Safety Project (COSP) which strives to ensure that Georgia's children are safe while riding in motor vehicles. During 2010, the staff participated in policy discussions as part of the Child Injury Prevention Planning Committee. As a result of the commitment and the collaboration with other stakeholders such as Safe Kids of Georgia, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety, recommendations were made to change the existing child passenger safety law in Georgia. The recommended changes were in age and place in the vehicle (under eight years and in the back seat). Recommendations were successfully adopted by the Georgia Legislature and made effective July 1, 2011.
Appropriate education is needed to support any policy change. This policy change resulted in the opportunity for public health staff to support clinicians and add value for their patients. We worked with our partners to develop pocket cards specific for healthcare providers (HCP) and law enforcement (LE) personnel. The HCP card focuses on best practice for child restraint usage and the LE card focuses on the law and gross misuse or nonuse of child restraints. The COSP staff also developed a poster for our state agency partners and hospitals to help educate the public regarding the best practices and new law. We look forward to putting the pocket cards and posters to use over the next year. Please contact our office if you would like pocket cards or posters for your organization. You may also visit our website at http://health.state.ga.us/programs/injuryprevention/occsafety.asp to download the cards and posters.
Best Practice Recommendations:
Step 1 Birth 12 months: Rear-facing car seat Step 2 Age 1-3 years: Rear-facing in back seat as long as possible, within the height or weight limit allowed by
car seat manufacturer, then forward-facing car seat in back seat. The AAP recommends children ride rear-facing until 2 years or within the height/weight limits of the car seat Step 3 Age 4-7 years: Forward-facing car seat used within the height or weight limit allowed by the car seat manufacturer, then a booster seat using lap and shoulder belt in the back seat Step 4 Age 8-12 years: Booster seat until seat belt fit properly around 4 feet, 9 inches tall, then a safety belt used in the back seat. Keep children in the back seat until age 13
The COSP provides income eligible families in over 140 Georgia counties the opportunity to receive child safety seats and
education in their use through the Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Mini-Grant. The Keeping Kids Safe Hospital Training program promotes discharge of newborns in child restraints. The project also educates and provides technical assistance to partners regarding safe transportation of children with special healthcare needs. The Safe School Buses Program addresses challenging issues including transportation of pre-school age children and children with special health care needs. Through regional Traffic Enforcement Networks, the project also works to increase law enforcement officers' understanding and enforcement of Georgia's child passenger safety law.
If you have any questions or require additional information, please contact us at 404-679-0500 or email at injury@dhr.state.ga.us and we will be glad to assist you.