National Child
Passenger Safety Week is Feb. 12-18. This week is dedicated to
raising the awareness of parents and caregivers to the leading
public health problem facing their children - motor vehicle
crashes.
During 2003, the last year data was available, the National
Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said almost 1600
children under the age of 15 died as occupants in motor vehicle
crashes and another 220,000 were injured. Of those children
killed, more than half were unrestrained. For children who were
four years old and younger, 35% were unrestrained.
The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC)
reports, “Restraint use among children often depends upon the
driver’s restraint use. Approximately 40% of children riding with
unbelted drivers were themselves unrestrained.”
New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee states,
“Studies show between 80 and 90 percent of all car seat used are
installed incorrectly. This the reason why Governor Pataki is
dedicated to the educational efforts of NHTSA certified Child
Passenger Safety Technicians, who work with parents so they can
learn how to correctly use their child’s car seat each and every
time.”
Trooper Wittner said, “The State’s rate of misused car seats is
high, but Montgomery, Fulton and Schoharie Counties are worse.
There is a 100% misuse rate in these three counties.
Trooper Wittner is a NHTSA certified instructor for the Child
Passenger Safety Technicians Course and available to make
appointments with concerned parents, who are looking to increase
their child’s safety in a crash. You can contact him at the school
(853-4415 ext. 4911) or e-mail at
hwittner@ffcsd.org, to schedule an appointment.
There is a low-income program available to assist those who may
need it.
