Child Passenger Safety

Objective: Child safety restraints, when correctly installed, are estimated to reduce the risk of death as much as 71% for infants. This program focuses on developing the capacity to provide training in installing child safety seats in Alaska, as well as on education on the importance of booster seat use among 4-8 year olds.

Problem Statement: Motor vehicle crashes are the single leading cause of hospitalization of Alaskans age 0-19 years of age. In Alaska, over 40% of children continue to ride unrestrained. After children reach 40lbs, they need to be restrained in booster seats until they are big enough to fit properly in an adult seatbelt.

Strategies and Activities: Alaska has five, in-state National Highway Traffic Safety Administration certified Child Passenger Safety (CPS) instructors, and they have trained over 150 NHTSA certified technicians from across the state. There is a standard two-day CPS course as well as a special needs CPS course available. Safety seat inspections occur on a regular basis across the state, and over 1,000 safety seats and booster seats have been distributed to Medicaid-eligible children. Two CPS safety vans have traveled throughout Southcentral and Interior Alaska and in Southeast Alaska via the Alaska Marine Highway System.

< Back