PennDOT Kicks Off National Child Passenger Safety Week in Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG, Pa., Feb. 11, 2005 -- Gary Hoffman, P.E., deputy secretary for highway administration for the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) was joined today by Capt. William Fraley of the Pennsylvania State Police, Leslie Best from the state Department of Health, Anne Franchak of PA SAFE KIDS and Neil Bailey from the Pennsylvania Automotive Association to mark the start of National Child Passenger Safety Week, from Sunday, Feb. 13 through Saturday, Feb. 19.

"Although Pennsylvania and the nation make a special effort to focus on the proper use of child passenger safety seats during National Child Passenger Safety Week, it's imperative that we think about the safety of our children each and every day," Deputy Secretary Hoffman said. "It's also important to remember that kids learn by example, and that's why parents, grandparents and guardians should also buckle up every time they get into a vehicle."

Child Passenger Safety Week is a nationwide effort to educate parents on the importance of properly securing children in approved car seats or with seat belts when traveling.

"Far too often, troopers come face-to-face with an injury or death that happens because a child was not properly restrained in a vehicle," Capt. Fraley said. "Tragically, many of these injuries or deaths could have been prevented had the child seat been properly installed."

The event featured seven different vehicles ranging from a full size pickup truck to a two-door coupe. The range of vehicles was used to help demonstrate proper child safety seat installation in a variety of vehicle types. Vehicles were furnished through the Pennsylvania Automotive Association.

"Motor vehicle injuries are the greatest public health problem facing young children today in Pennsylvania," said Ms. Best, director of the Health Department's Bureau of Chronic Diseases and Injury Prevention. "In fact, they are the leading cause of death among children ages one to 17 in our state."

According to Hoffman, it is vitally important for parents or guardians to thoroughly read the vehicles owner's manual and the child seat owner's manual to make sure a child seat is properly installed.

Pennsylvania law requires children under four to be restrained in an approved child passenger safety seat. Also, children age four through seven years must be in a booster seat and children eight through 17 must be in a seat belt regardless of where they sit in a vehicle. All front seat passengers, regardless of age, are required to wear seat belts.

Also attending the event were highway safety advocates from PA SAFE KIDS, Pennsylvania's Comprehensive Highway Safety Program, the Buckle Up PA municipal police enforcement program and the Traffic Injury Prevention Project.