Michael F. Easley
Governor
State of North Carolina
Office of the Governor
Governor's Press Office
State Capitol, Raleigh, NC 27603-8001
(919) 733-5612 - Toll Free 1-800-662-7005
FAX (919) 733-5166
For Release: IMMEDIATE Contact: Jill Warren Lucas
Date: Feb. 10, 2006 Phone: 919/733-5612
GOV. EASLEY PROVIDES $308,000 FOR CHILD SAFETY SEATS
Clinics to be Held Statewide in Support of ‘Child Passenger Safety Week’
RALEIGH – Gov. Mike Easley today announced that $308,000 in grants have been allocated to help low-income families across North Carolina obtain safety seats and booster seats. The announcement coincides with national Child Passenger Safety Week, which begins Sunday and continues through Feb. 18.
“These funds will help ensure that our children our buckled up safely when they travel,” said Easley. “Certified technicians will also be available at clinics across the state to ensure that young children are properly secured in safety seats. These age- and size-appropriate restraints not only save lives and prevent injuries, but their use also is required by law.”
North Carolina law requires all children up to age 16 to use a safety belt or age and size-appropriate child restraint device while traveling. Children younger than age 8 or who weigh less than 80 pounds must be properly secured in a child restraint or booster seat. Older or larger children may use a safety belt.
The driver of the vehicle is held responsible for proper restraint of children, regardless of their relationship to the child. In 2004, a total of 6,187 children aged 8 and younger were injured and 36 were killed in motor vehicle crashes in North Carolina. Law enforcement officers reported that at least 379 of those child victims were not properly restrained.
Children ages 4 to 8 who use booster seats are 59 percent less likely to be injured in a car crash than children who are restrained only by a safety belt, according to a study by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. However, only an estimated 10 percent to 20 percent of children in that age range use booster seats.
The grant to provide child restraint devices was issued by the Governor’s Highway Safety Program (GHSP) to SAFE KIDS coalitions across the state. SAFE KIDS is a program of the N.C. Department of Insurance. The program provides technical training to traffic safety advocates and outreach to families statewide. Coalitions will be conducting child passenger safety clinics to provide low-cost safety seats to qualified recipients and to help families learn how to use them correctly.
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