PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Motor vehicles are the leading cause of death from unintentional injury among children from birth to six years old in Shawnee County, Kansas. Although statistics indicate that proper use of child safety seats can reduce the risk of death by 69 percent for infant passengers less than one year old, and by 47 percent for children from age one to four, 1995 data for Shawnee County revealed that 32 percent of children under four were not properly restrained while riding in motor vehicles. This alarming figure is in part due to a lack of affordable child safety seats throughout the county.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
In response to this need, the United Way of Greater Topeka introduced the Success By 6 child safety seat loaner program in Shawnee County in 1996. The program's goal was to reduce unintentional injuries to children who are passengers in motor vehicles. To achieve this goal, the Success By 6 program convened a Safety Committee: a community-wide coalition of organizations supporting and providing services to children. Safety Committee members sought to achieve the following objectives:

• Foster an environment where children may safely travel and avoid unintentional injury and death resulting from motor vehicle crashes
• Provide affordable safety seat rentals to residents of Shawnee County through a loaner program
• Provide a facility to store, clean, and repair the loaner safety seats
• Provide training on proper use and installation of child safety seats to parents and/or guardians

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
Based on data indicating that safety seat use greatly reduces the opportunity for injury, the Shawnee County Child Safety Seat Loaner Program was developed and implemented by the Success By 6 Safety Committee in April of 1996. Two hundred infant and convertible safety seats were purchased, and the Kansas Safety Belt Education Office "trained the trainers" of the loaner program in providing instruction on proper use and installation to parents and/or guardians. Child safety seats are now rented for a nominal fee to any Shawnee resident regardless of income. Each time a safety seat is rented, a 20 to 30 minute training is conducted with the parent and/or guardian on occupant protection and the proper use of child safety seats. When seats are returned, they are cleaned, repaired, and stored in preparation for use by another county resident.

The Child Safety Seat Loaner Program serves as more than a simple loaner programit also serves as a resource for the community when questions arise concerning occupant protection, and as a source for training on child passenger safety.