NJ L&PS: Division of Highway Traffic Safety: Press Release

Zulima V. Farber, Attorney General Division of Highway Traffic Safety Roberto Rodriguez, Director
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Date: March 28, 2006	FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Gary Myerovich (HTS) (609) 633-8727
MEDIA RELEASE Child Passenger Safety Conference Addresses the Latest Innovations to Protect Children from Crash-Related Injuriese

(Trenton) - Keeping children safe and uninjured in the event of a crash is the sole agenda, as hundreds of certified child passenger safety technicians began a three-day conference today at the Wildwoods Convention Center in Wildwood, New Jersey, According to a 2005 report by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, child passenger restraint use is very high for newborns and infants under 2 years of age. But for children 4-to-8, the proper use of a child booster seat stood at 27% in 2004. This was marked increase from the same study which showed only 4% compliance in 1999, but the proper use of booster seats is still perilously low. In a 2002 study of 1200 child safety seats in the Washington, D.C. area, 85% of the seats were improperly installed, according to National Safe Kids.
The State of New Jersey is hosting the conference, in collaboration with the Division of Highway Traffic Safety (DHTS), the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the New York Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, AAA of New Jersey, and Baby Depot at Burlington Coat Factory. The conference has drawn hundreds of Child Passenger Safety Technicians from the NHTSA Eastern Region, encompassing New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Because of the conference location, representatives from Pennsylvania and Delaware are also participating in this major gathering. Attendees are being provided with updated information, studies, techniques and program ideas to better serve the public with child passenger safety programs. In 1998, NHTSA developed a standardized curriculum to instruct parents on the correct way to select, install, and secure a child in a child passenger safety seat. The National Center for Health Statistics says motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 3-to14. NHTSA says properly used child safety and booster seats reduce the risk of fatal injuries by 71% for infants, and 54% for toddlers in passenger vehicles. Over 40,000 individuals in all fifty states have taken the 32-hour CPS class to become a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician, 2,000 of those dedicated people in New Jersey alone. Surveys had determined a level of improperly installed and misused child passenger seats exceeding 90%. The need for more CPS technicians is painfully clear. At today’s opening session, NHTSA presented a National Recognition Award to Baby Depot at Burlington Coat Factory for its dedication to the community through their child passenger seat training outreach program. The Child Passenger Safety Conference consistently draws between 400 to 500 attendees each year. It concludes on Thursday, March 30th.
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