300 Additional Booster Seats Donated to Operation REPLACE
13 December 1999
300 Additional Booster Seats Donated to Operation REPLACE Division of Child Development Joins Program to Replace
Flood-Damaged Safety Seats
RALEIGH, N.C., Dec. 10 -- Eastern North Carolina children
whose safety seats were damaged by floodwaters will get an early holiday gift
thanks to the Division of Child Development. Division Director Stephanie
Fanjul today announced the gift of 300 high-back booster seats to Operation
REPLACE (Replacing Effective Protection Lost After Catastrophic Event),
Governor Jim Hunt's program to replace child safety seats damaged by Hurricane
Floyd.
"We learned that the program did not have enough seats for all the
children in need," Fanjul said. "Because of everything all these children and
their families have been through, we feel strongly that they need to have
quality safety seats to ensure a brighter future."
The additional 300 high-back booster seats will bring the total number of
seats available to qualified families and caregivers to about 2,800.
"We are grateful to the Division of Child Development for recognizing this
need and for stepping up to provide seats to flood-stricken families who are
unable to replace them," said Joe Parker, director of the Governor's Highway
Safety Program. "Too many North Carolina children are killed or injured
because they are not safely buckled up. This commitment means 300 more
children will be better protected when they travel our roadways."
The Division of Child Development is providing nearly $12,000 to purchase
high-back booster seats for children up to age 36 months. About three-
quarters of the children being served by Operation REPLACE are under age 3.
Funding also will cover expenses for the vehicle used to distribute seats and
provide training to recipients in their own communities.
Operation REPLACE was announced on Oct. 1, the day North Carolina's new
child passenger safety laws went into effect. Original partners include the
GHSP, the Department of Insurance, the Department of Crime Control & Public
Safety, and the Eastern Carolina Injury Prevention Program (ECIPP) of
University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina. ECIPP is warehousing the
seats, identifying qualified recipients and coordinating installation
training. Training will be provided by the North Carolina State Highway
Patrol, the Department of Insurance's Buckle-Up Kids and SAFE KIDS programs,
and other qualified health and highway safety advocates.
An assortment of nearly 250 infant seats, convertible safety seats, belt-
positioning booster seats and seats for special-needs children were donated by
manufacturers Basic Comfort, Cosco, Evenflo, Fisher-Price, and Snug Seat.
Seats also have been donated by Carfax, an on-line service that provides
vehicle histories for used cars.
Flood-damaged child safety seats should be destroyed because they may not
protect children in a crash, or they may be saturated with germs. Replacement
child safety seats are being provided at no cost to qualified families and
caregivers who have no other way to replace flood-damaged seats. Seats also
will be provided to families with proof that seats cannot be replaced by
insurance, or to designated caregivers assisting families devastated by this
catastrophe.
Families who lost a child safety seat due to Hurricane Floyd should call
the toll-free Operation REPLACE Hotline at 1-877-547-4362 to learn whether
they qualify for a replacement seat. Calls may be made during regular
business hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
For additional information about this and other North Carolina highway
safety issues, call Jill Warren Lucas or Erica Hinton at the GHSP,
919-733-3083, or visit our website at: http://www.dot.state.nc.us/services/ghsp.
