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Trenton
– State safety officials today highlighted
the proper use of child safety seats and
safety belts for members of the Hispanic
community, at a child passenger safety seat
check event at Grant Elementary School in
Trenton.
According to Division of Highway Traffic
Safety Director Pam Fischer, motor vehicle
crashes are the leading cause of death for
Hispanics between one and 44 years of age,
and the third leading cause of death for
all Hispanics, surpassed only by heart disease
and cancer.
“We know that proper restraint, regardless
of age, can reduce the severity of injury
in a motor vehicle crash,” Director
Fischer said. “With this in mind,
it’s critical that information on
how to purchase, install and properly use
child safety seats and booster seats is
provided in both English and Spanish to
the state’s Hispanic community.”
Today’s event, which was conducted
by bilingual, certified child passenger
safety technicians, focused on the proper
use of child safety seats, as well as important
information about installation, milestones
and restraint for everyone in the family.
While today’s event was conducted
as part of National Child Passenger Safety
Week, the Division and the New Jersey Department
of Community Affairs have been collaborating
with community service organizations for
the past three years to educate Hispanic
families about occupant restraint. The “Partnering
for Traffic Safety” program, funded
through a $300,000 grant from the Division,
provides training, educational materials
and other resources to agencies to conduct
child passenger safety programs and seat
check events as well as bicycle and pedestrian
safety initiatives.
Participating agencies include:
-
Mercer County Hispanic Association (MECHA),
Trenton
- Puerto
Rican Action Committee of Southern New
Jersey, Salem and Cape May Counties
- Puerto
Rican Action Board, New Brunswick
- Puerto
Rican Action Board, Lakewood
- Puerto
Rican Association for Human Development,
Perth Amboy
- Spanish
American Social Cultural Association of
New Jersey, Willingboro
- Servicios
Latino de Burlington County, Mount Holly
- Morris
County Organization for Hispanic Affairs,
Dover
- La
Casa de Don Pedro, Newark
- Hispanic
Multi-Purpose Service Center, Paterson
"The
New Jersey Department of Community Affairs
is proud to partner with the Division of
Highway Traffic Safety on this important
public safety initiative," said Charles
A. Richman, the acting commissioner of the
Department of Community Affairs. "Knowing
how to properly use a car seat or seat belt
for your children saves lives."
"We are seeing too many serious injuries
to those in the Hispanic Community and they
can be avoided with the proper training,"
said Angie Armand, the executive director
at the Center for Hispanic Policy, Research
and Development. "DCA and the CHPRD
look forward to our continuing partnership
with the DHTS to help prevent further injuries
from happening in the future."
Additional information on child passenger
safety is available on the Division’s
Web site at www.NJSafeRoads.com.
Parents may also call their local police
department or hospital to find the nearest
child safety seat check location in their
area.
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