Dear Traffic Safety Partner:
This letter is to invite your agency/organization to join state and local efforts to improve the safety of New York State’s (NYS) children in observance of National Child Passenger Safety Week (September 18-24, 2016) and Seat Check Saturday (September 24, 2016).
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of injury death for children ages 1 through 12. Most tweens (8 to 12 year-olds) seriously injured or killed in crashes were not wearing seat belts or were wearing them incorrectly. Tweens are also more likely to get hurt in crashes when riding in the front seat. Many deaths and injuries could be prevented if children were properly secured 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 sadly these restraints are frequently used incorrectly. In fact, three out of every four children are riding at an increased risk of injury because their car seats are not being used correctly. 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 advise parents and caregivers about proper car seat selection for their child’s age and size, and to educate them on its proper use. 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), including:
- Display posters in strategic locations typically accessed by parents and caregivers.
- Post or disseminate a flyer of fitting stations and car seat events for your area.
- Show the “Under 13? Backseat and buckle up!” video PSA in patient or client waiting rooms.
- Disseminate “4 Steps 4 Kids” tip cards (available in English and Spanish) and “Under 13? Backseat and buckle up!” tip cards (available in English, Spanish and French) to parents and caregivers.
- 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.
To request supplies of the following: “2017 Year at a Glance Calendar”, “Know for Sure” posters, “Under 13? Backseat and buckle up!” tip cards, the 4 Steps 4 Kids tip cards and/or backseat bingo game cards, please complete and email the Order Form to injury@health.ny.gov or fax it to (518) 474-3067. If you have questions or need additional information, contact the Bureau of Occupational Health & Injury Prevention at injury@health.ny.gov or Paul Overbaugh (Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee) at Paul.Overbaugh@dmv.ny.gov.
Sincerely,
Annie Mirabito
Child Passenger Safety Project Manager
New York State Department of Health
Corning Tower, Empire State Plaza
Albany, NY 12237
518.402.7900
anne.mirabito@health.ny.gov