ARIZONA
Child Passenger Restraint Distribution Program

 

PROJECT CHARACTERISTICS PROGRAM AREA(S)
  Targets hard-to-reach/at risk population
Easy to replicate
  Occupant Protection
       
TYPE OF JURISDICTION    
  State    
       
TARGETED POPULATION(S) JURISDICTION SIZE
  Parents   4,764,025


PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Data from an observational survey, conducted throughout Arizona in 1995, revealed a child safety restraint use of 39 percent. By 1998, the use rate had increased to 80 percent. Although state highway safety officials were pleased with the increased use rate, it was clear that many children still were not protected from potential injuries and fatalities.


GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
The goal of the Child Passenger Restraint Distribution Program is to increase the use of child safety seats throughout Arizona. Objectives of the project include the following:

  • Developing an occupant protection program suitable for statewide application
  • Creating a publicity program about child safety seat use tailored to reach all families statewide
  • Promoting training efforts designed to increase proper use of child safety seats


STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
In February 1999, the Arizona Governor's Office of Highway Safety purchased 6,500 child safety seats through public bid. In a phased distribution, the Office of Highway Safety identified three sites located throughout the state and delivered 1,000 child safety seats to each of the three sites. Locations were selected based on past experience and commitments from local agencies to work with families with children. These agencies included law enforcement, fire departments, county health departments, private hospitals, and non-profit agencies.

The Governor of Arizona held press conferences in Phoenix and Tucson to introduce the new Child Passenger Restraint Distribution Program. Following the press conferences, families in the initial distribution sites rushed to the sponsoring agencies to receive their child safety seats. As interest in the program grew, public agencies throughout the state contacted the Governor's Office of Highway Safety to volunteer their services to distribute the car seats within their own communities. Requests were evaluated and the remaining car seats were distributed to eligible sites.

The Governor's Office of Highway Safety distributed the safety seats free-of-charge, only requiring compliance with the following:

  • Agencies distributing the safety seats were charged with training recipients in proper installation and use techniques
  • Local agencies were not allowed to charge for the safety seats
  • Seats could be distributed only to low-income families as defined by state guidelines


RESULTS
Results from establishment of the Child Passenger Restraint Distribution Program are significant:

  • A statewide survey of child safety restraint use, conducted in 1999 during the distribution phase of the program, indicated a use rate of 87 percent, a 7 percent increase from a 1998 survey
  • Thousands of families previously unable to afford child safety seats were provided a seat free-of-charge
  • Distribution of the seats prompted communities to increase occupant protection education and training for law enforcement officers, firefighters and other community agencies. For example, many of the officers from the Arizona Department of Corrections have become certified child seat inspection technicians through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Standardized Training Course
 

FUNDING
  Section 157:
$200,000
CONTACT  
 

Alberto Gutier, Director
Governor's Office of Highway Safety
3030 N. Central Avenue, Suite 1550
Phoenix, AZ 85012
(602) 255–3216


NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION

WINTER 2000