COALITION NEWS

 

The misuse rate for child restraint use for the year 2009 was 86% misuse through the use of the CPS (Child Passenger Safety) tracker which is a statewide compilation.

 

Boost 'Til 9:

Safe Kids Day, September 14, 2009

Wyoming Seatbelt Coalition Meeting, February 4-5, 2009

 

Boost ‘til 9:

In September 2009 Safe Kids Wyoming and several partners focused efforts for Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Week on Booster Education.  Wyoming law requires that children under 9 ride in the back seat of a vehicle and in a child safety seat appropriate for their age and weight.

Intensive planning for this statewide event started in June at the Chapter Coordinators’ Meeting in Douglas.  From this meeting, Safe Kids Wyoming—with help from the Wyoming Seat Belt Coalition, Wyoming Department of Transportation and the Wyoming Highway Patrol—worked to develop media and advertising and to get it out to the public.

During September, 14 Safe Kids chapters along with Safe Kids Wyoming and Safe Kids Central Wyoming held Car Seat / Booster Check Up events across the state. During these events, 608 car seats were checked (310 of which were booster seats), and 302 car seats were distributed (204 of which were booster seats).  The booster seats were donated by the Wyoming Seat Belt Coalition.

Eighty CPS Technicians and 115 volunteers donated their time and effort to help make this a successful series of events. The Wyoming Highway Patrol generously provided the services of several of their Troopers as CPS Technicians and Senior Checkers.

Upcoming CPS Classes:
1 Update Class:
Casper:            1/11/2010 (Monday)

2 Renewal Classes:
Cheyenne:        11/13/09 (Friday)
Casper:            1/11/2010 (Monday)

1 Certification Course:
Casper:            1/12/2010 through 1/15/2010 (Tuesday through Friday)

 

 

SAFE KIDS DAY
Car seats key to child safety
Monday, Sep 14th, 2009
By Rachel Koon

Each year, hundreds of children are killed in car accidents in the United States.
Organizers of a local event are hoping to reduce that statistic.

Car accidents are the leading cause of death for children between ages 2-14, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. While not all fatal accidents can be prevented, securing children in proper seats and restraints can help reduce those numbers. The car seat check at the seventh annual Safe Kids Day aims to ensure children are using a seat appropriate to their age and size, and determine if those seats are installed correctly.

In 2006, 1,794 children aged 14 and younger were killed in car accidents, according to statistics from the NHTSA.

Wyoming Highway Safety Program statistics show that in the same year in Wyoming, seven children aged 14 years and under were fatally injured in car accidents. Those children accounted for 3.6 percent of fatalities and 8.9 percent of injuries in Wyoming car crashes.

In injury accidents where a child restraint was used on children aged 14 and under, WHSP statistics show that in 2006: 260 children sustained no apparent injury, three sustained incapacitating injuries, 50 sustained non-incapacitating injuries, and 95 sustained possible injuries. Nationally, 45 percent of children involved in fatal accidents in 2006 were not restrained in any way. NHTSA statistics show that age- and size-appropriate seats reduce fatal injuries by 71 percent in infants under age 1 and by 54 percent in toddlers between 1-4 years old. For children under 5 years old, child restraints saved an estimated 425 lives in 2006. Of those 425 children, 392 were in child seats and 32 were using adult seat belts. From 1975-2005, child restraints saved an estimated 8,325 lives. According to the American Association of Pediatrics, rear-facing seats are the safest for children and should be used as long as possible, but at least until children are 1 year old and weigh at least 20 pounds. Infants under 1 year old can be placed in either infant seats or convertible seats that are rear-facing. Rear-facing seats should never be put in a front seat with an airbag, the AAP said, because an inflated airbag will strike the child’s seat where the head is, which can result in serious injury or death.

Once they outgrow their rear-facing seats, toddlers can be placed in convertible seats. Children typically outgrow these types of seats by age 4 or when they weigh between 40-65 pounds, according to the AAP. Signs a child has outgrown a car seat include reaching the seat manufacturer’s height and/or weight limit, when the child’s shoulders are above the harness slots and when the child’s ears are above the top of the seat. School-aged children should use booster seats until adult seat belts fit them correctly. For most children, this means sitting in a booster until they are 4 feet, 9 inches tall and between 8-12 years old. Children over 4 feet, 9 inches can wear shoulder and lap belts if they can sit with their backs resting on the car seat and their feet on the floor for the entire trip. All children should ride in the backseat until age 13, according to the AAP. But placing children in the correct seat for their age and size is only part of the equation. Car seats and boosters must be installed correctly to work effectively in an accident. “Nine out of 10 car seats are used improperly in Wyoming, even when the parents think they’re doing it correctly,” said Kim Wann, certified car seat technician and registered nurse with Wyoming Public Health in Torrington. “That warrants getting (a car seat) checked because an improperly installed seat could cause injury or fatality.” Wann said she and two other seat technicians will inspect each car seat and teach parents the correct way to install car seats in their vehicle. They will also properly place children in their seat or restraint.

Safe Kids Day hosts car seat safety checks in correspondence with National Seat Check Saturday – held Sept. 12 this year. Parents can take their car seats to the Embarq Car Seat Inspection Station at the Goshen County Fairgrounds between 10 a.m. and noon. The three inspectors will also look for seats that have been recalled, make sure children are properly secured in their seat, determine whether the children are the correct height and weight for their seat and more. The car seat check is a drive-through, and parents interested in participating should bring their child secured in their seat. Parents who do not have car seats for their children, or those who have seats inappropriate for their child’s size and age, may receive one free. Safe Kids Day chairwoman Shelly Duncan said the seats, which are funded through donations from Embarq, will be distributed on a first come, first served basis.

The seat check will take place near the Rendezvous Center to help avoid traffic congestion. While it began in 2002 as an effort to spread car seat safety awareness, Safe Kids Day has expanded to include a number of activities focused on safety. The three-hour event will include a mini-car obstacle course, a dunk tank, crafts, a shooting gallery and bike registration with the Torrington Police Department. In addition, Duncan said children and their families will have the opportunity to meet and talk with representatives from local EMS and fire departments, police and sheriff’s offices, and the armed forces. Eastern Wyoming College volleyball and basketball players will also attend. While the event is aimed primarily at younger children, Duncan said the organizers try to have at least one activity for older youth. “The biggest draw is probably elementary level and younger kids, but we sure encourage all ages,” she said. “Each year we try and bring something that maybe would attract the older kids.” Duncan said that, weather permitting, the Air National Guard is bringing its helicopter to the event for the first time in several years.

Safe Kids Day is completely free, and Duncan said all community members are encouraged to attend. “Everything we do is based on donations, so even though we’re in a recession…we’ve been able to raise pretty close to same amount as last year,” she said. “That shows how important this event is to community. “We’ve had a lot of community support to put this on. We wouldn’t be able to do at all if it wasn’t for (the community’s) generosity.” Safe Kids Day ran from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Goshen County Fairgrounds. For a complete list of activities and sponsors, see page A-6 of Wednesday’s Telegram.

Wyoming Seat Belt Coalition Meeting, Holiday Inn – Cheyenne, Wyoming
February 4-5, 2009

The members of the Wyoming Seat Belt Coalition (below) held their semi-annual meeting in Cheyenne on February 4-5, 2009.  It was a productive meeting with 31 members attending and participating in a number of planned activities.
Dr Brent Sherard, Health Officer for the Wyoming Department of Health, addressed the membership and shared his viewpoint that increasing seatbelt usage must be a priority goal for public health in Wyoming.  Dr. Sherard believes that injury prevention should be the focus of all our public health efforts – and not just treatment.  Great discussion was generated regarding ideas for effective messaging to the various population groups in Wyoming.
Duane Ellis - Wyoming Highway Patrol, Diana Shannon – Campbell County Emergency Management Services, Cindy Keele and Ron Howard – Injury Prevention Resources presented the inner-workings of several local prevention programs that have been highly successful and which can be replicated easily in any community.
Sam Trautman of Snowy Range Graphics provided an update on the development of the public information website – wysbc.org.  The Coalition members  reviewed the site and provided final input before the official launching that is to occur in July.
The Coalition has established Project Work Groups among its members in order to devise and implement a series of strategies to increase seatbelt usage in Wyoming.  These workgroups discussed, decided and presented a number of strategies and initiatives involving Policy/Legislative, Law Enforcement and Marketing initiatives to the general membership.   Informational posters and brochures will be available soon for dissemination by all members.
The next meeting of the Wyoming Seat Belt Coalition will be held in Casper, Wyoming on September 29-30, 2009.