For Release: Immediate  Date: December 13, 2000

Sgt. Wade Bulloch Phone:(919) 733-3911

RALEIGH -- The North Carolina State Highway Patrol continues to lead the way in the area of child passenger safety. As part of the Department of Crime Control and Public Safety's commitment to provide excellent service to its customers, the Highway Patrol trained all of its enforcement members to assist motorists with the correct installation of their child passenger seat.

The Highway Patrol also provides the training to fellow public safety agencies, health care providers and others. This week in Wake County, eight firefighters, eight law enforcement officers, three health care professionals, two Hispanic agency service representatives, and one Safe Kids member are attending the National Child Passenger Safety Technical Training Program at Troop C Headquarters on Blue Ridge Road. This class was coordinated and sponsored by the Highway Patrol with the cooperation of the Department of Insurance-Office of State Fire Marshal, and the Governor's Highway Safety Program.

As part of the class, the students will conduct a child safety seat clinic on Friday, December 14th at Sir Walter Chevrolet at 8501 Glenwood Avenue west of Raleigh from 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Any citizen who needs a child safety seat installed or checked by professionals can attend the drive-through clinic free of charge.

Students receiving the training are from the following agencies: Raleigh Fire Department, Fuquay Varina Fire Department, Clayton Police Department, Smithfield Police Department, Rolesville Police Department, Garner Police Department, Highway Patrol offices in Johnston, Vance, and Wilson counties, Wake Medical Center, Rex Healthcare, Wake County Human Services, El Pueblo, East Coast Migrant Head Start, and Wake County Safe Kids.

The 32-hour training will teach the students to select the appropriate safety seat for the many different family situations that exist, to properly install the child seat in the automobile, and the proper placement of the child in the seat. But the main focus of this class is to enable the student to empower parents and caregivers to provide the safest occupant protection to their own children.

Motor vehicle crashes continue to be the leading cause of unintentional death in the United States. Child passenger safety seats work, but only if they are installed properly. Clinics continue to reveal that misuse rates are as high as 90%.

"We are making a difference, but there are still many children not properly protected. We hope that by involving other agencies and making this lifesaving service more accessible, more North Carolina children will be restrained and fewer will be injured or killed," said Colonel R.W. Holden, Commander of the Highway Patrol.

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Sgt. Wade Bulloch Public Information Officer State Highway Patrol