HCSO TAKES PART IN NATIONAL CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY WEEK
Hamilton County, TN – The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to educate parents and caregivers during national Child Passenger Safety Week, taking place September 18th -24th. Motor vehicle crashes are a leading killer of children ages 1 to 13. From 2009 to 2013, an estimated 611,000 children were injured, and 3,335 were killed while riding in cars, pickups, vans, and SUVs.
In an effort to help reduce and eliminate unnecessary child deaths from improperly installed child safety seats, the HCSO Safe Journey Program hosts weekly public car-seat checks for the public. Not only do they provide these services for free, Safe Journey staff also help train other law enforcement agencies and organizations to be certified child safety seat technicians in order to expand the ability for other agencies in the state to check the installation of child safety seats.
“Using car seats that are age and size-appropriate is the best way to keep your child safe,” noted HCSO Traffic Division Captain Charles Lowery, Jr. “Cars seats matter, and having the right car seat installed and used the right way is critical. Too often, parents also move their children to the front seat before they should, which increases the risk of injury and death. The safest place for all kids under 13 is in the back seat of the car,” he added.
NHTSA recommends keeping children rear-facing as long as possible up to the top height or weight allowed by their particular seats. Once a child outgrows the rear-facing only “infant” car seat, he/she should travel in a rear-facing “convertible” or all-in-one car seat. Once your child outgrows the rear-facing size limits, he or she is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness and tether. After outgrowing the forward-facing car seats, children should be placed in booster seats until they’re the right size to use seat belts safely.
“Data collected at car seat check events indicate that 82% of Tennessee children are not properly restrained, this could be that they are using the wrong seat for their age or height, that they are not using a seat at all, or that the seat itself was not installed correctly. Certified child passenger safety technicians are located at 128 fitting stations across the state. They are able to inspect your vehicle, seat, and child’s information to see what installation will best fit your needs and keep your little ones the safest.”
For more information on child passenger safety laws and to find a fitting station or child passenger safety technician near you, visit
http://tntrafficsafety.org/programs/child-passenger-safety.
For more information on the HCSO Safe Journey Program, please visit
http://www.hcsheriff.gov/uniform_services/safe_journey.php
The HCSO Safe Journey Program provides free car seat checks routinely on the following days and times:
Safe Journey Child Passenger Safety Monthly Checkpoints:
1st Tuesday - 2:00 P.M. to 4:00 P.M - Chuck E. Cheese
22 Northgate Park
Chattanooga, TN 37415
2nd Tuesday - 12:00 P.M. to 2:00 P.M - Former K-Mart
4801 Highway 58
Chattanooga, TN 37416
423-899-3232
3rd Tuesday - 12:00 P.M. to 2:00 P.M - AAA Auto Club South
2111 Gunbarrel Road
Chattanooga, TN 37421
423-490-2000
4th Tuesday - 12:00 P.M. to 2:00 P.M - Walgreens
600 North Market Street
(At the corner of Frazier and North Market)
Chattanooga, TN 37415
423-622-4397
Safe Journey Contact Information
8395 North Hickory Valley Road
Chattanooga, TN 37416
Phone: (423) 893-3503 ext. 3
