| Cleveland County Implements Child Passenger Safety Diversion Program |
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Cleveland County District Attorney Rick Schaffer, along with Safe Kids Cleveland County, Boiling Springs Police Department, the Cleveland County Sherriff’s Office, North Carolina Highway Patrol and Shelby Police, kicked off an initiative February 1st for a child safety seat diversion program in Cleveland County. The program is designed to promote child passenger safety and to teach proper techniques of using appropriate child restraint systems, and the importance of buckling up children along with having child safety seats installed in vehicles. This program allows violators of the NC Child Passenger Safety Law (G.S. 20-137.1) the chance to have their safety seats properly installed and their charge dismissed.
The present law requires children who are under eight (8) years of age and less than eighty (80) pounds to be properly restrained in an approved device while riding in a car. The law provides these violations shall be dismissed when cited driver produces proof that he/she subsequently acquired an approved child seat restraint and has it installed correctly.
During the class, Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians teach caregivers how to install a child’s car seat and observes the caregiver installing a seat in the vehicle. “These classes will help parents understand the proper ways to install child safety seats and help keep the children of Cleveland County safe” says program coordinator Lt. Nathan Phillips, Boiling Springs Police Department. Classes will be held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month from 4 to 6 pm at Boiling Springs Fire Department 149 North Main St. Boiling Springs, NC. Advance registration is required for the class. You may call 704-476-7810 to schedule an appointment; however the District Attorney has the authority to determine whether or not dismissal is appropriate in each case.
“Research has shown that 7 out of 10 seats are installed incorrectly increasing a child’s likelihood of injury during a crash. If your car seat is installed correctly it reduces the risk of death up to 70 %,” said Jessica Laws, RN Safe Kids Coordinator, Cleveland. “We want all parents to make sure their car seats are installed correctly and that the whole family is buckled up every time on every ride.”
To help achieve this goal, Safe Kids Cleveland, which is led by Cleveland Regional Medical Center, partners with law enforcement and fire departments to offer child safety seat checks. Car seats may be checked at Shelby Fire Department, Shelby City Police Department, Kings Mountain Police Department and Boiling Springs Police Department. Parents can call any of these checking stations to arrange an appointment. These facilities offer drivers the chance to receive assistance and guidance from Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians regarding proper installation of their child safety restraints.
For more information on Safe Kids Cleveland, call 980-487-3826.
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