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PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Pennsylvania's
Child Passenger Protection Act was signed into law in 1993, and requires
that all children under age four be restrained in a Federally-approved
child safety seat while traveling in a motor vehicle. Through the media,
Pennsylvania parents have become aware of the importance of properly
using child safety seats, and many regularly participate in child safety
seat checkpoints provided by the Pennsylvania Traffic Injury Prevention
Program (PA TIPP), to determine if they are using the seats correctly.
When attending these checkpoints, parents complete survey forms to determine
their awareness of child passenger safety practices. In analyzing completed
survey forms, PA TIPP staff discovered that many parents were unaware
that a car seat should not be reused if it has been involved in a traffic
crash. A crash can cause unseen damage to the car seat, and its reuse
may provide inadequate protection for a child. In order to make Pennsylvania
parents aware of this important information, the Car Seat Involved
In Crash—DO NOT USE Campaign was developed.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The Car Seat Involved
In Crash—DO NOT USE Campaign is a pilot program that was initiated
in 1999 through the joint efforts of the Bucks County Emergency Health
Services Office, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and PA TIPP.
The specific goals of this six-month effort are to:
- Increase parental awareness
that child safety seats involved in traffic crashes need to be replaced.
Even if a seat appears to be in good condition, hidden damage may
weaken the seat and provide inadequate protection in a subsequent
crash
- Foster a cohesive working
relationship between emergency medical response personnel and child
safety seat advocates
- Increase awareness on
the part of paramedics, emergency medical technicians (EMTs), police
and fire officials about the variety of complex issues related to
child passenger safety, so that they may assist parents in providing
safe transportation for their children
STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
Through the combined efforts
of the Bucks County Emergency Health Services Office, PA TIPP, the Pennsylvania
Department of Transportation and the Bucks County Safe Kids Coalition,
a sticker and informational brochure were developed for the campaign.
This sticker and brochure was designed to be carried on all 150 ambulances
operating in Buck County, and used at the scene of a traffic crash.
When emergency medical services (EMS) personnel respond to a vehicle
crash involving a child safety seat, the paramedic or EMT at the scene
places a sticker on the padding of the child safety seat, where a child's
head would rest. In addition, an informational brochure is distributed
to a responsible adult at the crash scene. This procedure is documented
by EMS personnel on the trip sheet, using a designated code.
County police departments
expressing interest in the program have received campaign materials,
and have been requested to collect evaluation data.
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