Right Column
Press Release
STATE OF CALIFORNIA
BUSINESS, TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING AGENCY
OFFICE OF TRAFFIC SAFETY
7000 FRANKLIN BLVD., SUITE 440
SACRAMENTO, CA 95823-1899
(916) 262-0990
(800) 735-2929 (TT/TDD-Referral)
(916) 262-2960 (FAX)
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, GOVERNOR
SUNNE WRIGHT McPEAK, SECRETARY
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
CONTACT: Dan Boyle(Providence Health System)
(818) 847-4602
Mike Marando (OTS)
(916) 262-2975
OFFICE OF TRAFFIC SAFETY KICKS OFF CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY WEEK
LA County Department of Health Services To Distribute Child Safety Seats
OTS Director Christopher J. Murphy announces $1 million grant during CPS Week
kickoff event at Providence Holy Cross Hospital in Los Angeles.
LOS ANGELES -- State Office of Traffic Safety Director Christopher J. Murphy today kicked off Child Passenger Safety Week by announcing a $1 million state grant to the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services that will pay for 16,000 child safety seats which will be distributed during 2006 in the greater Los Angeles area.
Capt. Steve Badilla of the California Highway Patrol properly installs a child safety seat.
“Protect the ones you love on Valentine’s Day by getting them properly secured in a child restraint system,” Murphy said during a 10 a.m. press conference at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center. “The money invested today will save lives and prevent injuries to our young people, our leaders of tomorrow.”
Today’s announcement comes at a time when motor vehicle crashes are among the top five leading causes of injury-related deaths and injuries among children ages 14 and under in California and Los Angeles County. Children ages four to eight who use booster seats are 59 percent less likely to be injured in a car crash than children who are restrained only by a seat belt, according to a 2004 survey by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
In addition, the Los Angeles Police Department’s Valley Division announced the creation of a new child passenger seat inspection site. Safe Kids Los Angeles is conducting car seat inspections throughout the day. Safe Kids is the local branch of a global network of organizations whose mission is to prevent accidental childhood injuries.
Officer Leland Tang (right) gives a local parent key pointers about the effectiveness of child safety seat.
“Parents not only need to ensure that their child is placed in an age-appropriate child safety seat but also that their child is properly restrained,” said Los Angeles Police Department officer John Nisbet, who also chairs Safe Kids LA. “Securing a child in the right restraint at the right time is one of the most important things you can do to protect your child.”
In 2004, 137 children 14 and under died and another 19,319 were injured in traffic crashes in California*.
(*) denotes CHP provisional data.
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