Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey is joining the North Carolina Governor’s Highway Safety Program, law enforcement agencies and first responders to host an event to ensure children are secured in a properly installed child safety seat when riding in a vehicle to save lives.
To kick off Child Passenger Safety Week, which runs Sept. 19-25, Commissioner Causey and NCGHSP Director Mark Ezzell will host a Child Passenger Safety Clinic on Monday, Sept. 20, at Pullen Park in Raleigh to show how properly installed child restraints can greatly improve the safety of a child.
“Car seats save lives, but they have to be installed properly in order to do their job,” said Commissioner Causey. “Our goal during Child Passenger Safety Week is to teach as many parents, grandparents and caregivers as possible the correct way to install a child passenger safety seat and secure children in a vehicle.”
Car crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 13 years old.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 608 children died in traffic crashes in 2019. Sadly, 38% of those children (231) were not restrained in a child passenger safety seat.
Child safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71% for infants and by 54% for toddlers.
A child’s age, weight and height can all play a factor when determining proper safety harnesses, so it’s important to stay informed with all current regulations and suggestions.
“Last year, 30 children under the age of 12 died on North Carolina roads, and that is unacceptable,” said Ezzell. “We can and must prevent these tragedies. North Carolina has more child passenger safety technicians than any other state, and they are always available to help you and your family ensure proper installation.”
At Monday’s event, National Certified Child Safety Seat Technicians will inspect car seats free of charge to make sure children are in age-appropriate seats that are properly installed. Families who cannot afford a child seat can come to the clinic with their child to receive a free car seat if needed and have it installed/inspected. Child safety seats will be limited to 50 seats for this event and will be distributed on a first come, first served basis.
Wilmington firefighters Joshua Gibson and Eli Venecia will talk about the importance of properly installed child passenger safety seats by pointing to a recent “real-life” example where they installed a car seat which may have saved the life of a baby.
Earlier this year, the Aldridge family was involved in a car accident in Wilmington. The vehicle was totaled, but no one was seriously hurt thanks to the child passenger safety seat that had recently been installed by Gibson and Venecia.
Family members Lauren Shultz and Sandra Aldridge will be on hand to discuss how the seats that were properly installed by the Wilmington Fire Department played a vital role in protecting their child, Harris, during that crash.
Commissioner Causey and Director Ezzell will present the "Saved by the Belt" Award to Sandra Aldridge and Harris Shultz whose decision to buckle up prevented serious injury or death in a vehicle crash.
Below are the details for the Child Passenger Safety Week Kick-Off Event:
WHO: Commissioner Mike Causey, North Carolina Department of Insurance; Director Mark Ezzell, N.C. Governor’s Highway Safety Program; Firefighters Joshua Gibson and Eli Venecia; Wilmington Fire Department; Lauren Shultz, Sandra Aldridge, Harris Shultz (child), Family Advocates WHAT: Child Passenger Safety Week Kick-Off event WHERE: Pullen Park (parking lot near shelter 5 which is located up the hill on the right side of the upper parking lot, closer to the Aquatic Center) 520 Ashe Avenue Raleigh, NC 27606 WHEN: Monday, September 20th from 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. WHY: To prevent injuries and deaths to children because they were not properly buckled up.This child passenger safety clinic complements the NC Vision Zero initiative, which aims to save lives on North Carolina roadways. The goal is to reach zero traffic-related fatalities in North Carolina by changing the overall traffic safety culture.
There are approximately 2,916 Child Passenger Safety Technicians operating in 98 out of 100 counties in North Carolina.
To view a list of fire stations and other sites in North Carolina that can provide FREE car safety seat checks year-round, visit: www.buckleupnc.org.