N.C. HIGHWAY PATROL MAKES CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY A TOP PRIORITY

For Release: Immediate
Date: February 8, 2001

SHP Public Information Officer

Phone:(919) 733-5027 (ext. 238)

N.C. HIGHWAY PATROL MAKES CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY A TOP PRIORITY

RALEIGH - Saving children from death and injury in motor vehicle crashes has been a major focus of the Highway Patrol in recent years. But that was not taken into account in the grade issued to the state today by the National Safe Kids Campaign. The Campaign's "D" rating for North Carolina was based on the language in the law only.

Just this week, Colonel Richard W. Holden, along with representatives of the Governor's Highway Safety Program and the UNC Highway Safety Research Center, announced stepped up enforcement of the child passenger safety laws and called on all law enforcement agencies in North Carolina to do the same.

"We" are losing too many children whose lives could be saved if the laws we currently have were being followed," said Col. Holden. "Parents must get the message that it's up to them to take steps to protect their children when they are in a car."

In 1999, 259 children under the age of 14 were killed in traffic crashes. Of those killed, 44% were not properly buckled in to either seat belts or child safety seats. The State Highway Patrol issued more than 9,000 citations for child safety seat violations in 1999, and more than 12,000 citations in 2000. In January, Col. Holden issued a memo to troopers statewide to aggressively enforce the child passenger safety laws with the primary goal being to reduce the number of child fatalities and injuries.

In addition to enforcing the law, the Highway Patrol has conducted a major education effort on child safety seats since 1998. "Buckle In Baby Safely," or BIBS, was created in response to the fact that 70-to-90 percent of child safety seats are installed incorrectly and do not protect the child in a crash. BIBS seeks to educate parents and caregivers about the law and the proper use of child safety seats and seat belts. Since 1998, the Patrol:

has distributed more than 350,000 BIBS brochures and stickers to hospitals, day care centers, health and social services offices, and individual citizens;

has trained 1,200 of its 1,417 members in Operation Kids - a 12-hour awareness level training, and has more than 70 nationally certified child safety seat technicians across the state;

has conducted hundreds of child safety seat clinics and checked thousands of child safety seats at clinics or individually at Patrol offices; and

has begun conducting classes for child care professionals and others who want to learn the proper installation of child safety seats.

North Carolina's law requires children up to age 5 and weighing up to 40 pounds to sit in a child safety seat in the back seat of a car, if the vehicle is equipped with an active passenger-side airbag. The law also requires children between the ages of 5 and 16 to be buckled in no matter where they sit in the car. On December 1, 2000, the law was made stronger by adding two motor vehicle license points to the $25 fine and court costs.

"North Carolina does have a strong child passenger safety law," said Col. Holden. "That doesn't mean we can't improve, but the grade given to our state does not reflect how much we are already doing to save the lives of our children."

###

CCPS Home

News Release List

Contact F/Sgt. Jeff Winstead, SHP Public Information Officer