Good news for the Haralson County Sheriff’s Office, who just got some help from the state for the county’s car seat program.
A mini grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety is providing Haralson County with car seats they’ll be able to give out following classwork completed by parents who want to participate in the program and are willing to go through classes.
The HCSO will be sending additional deputies to go through a training program to help Deputy Paige Atkins, the HCSO Child Safety Passenger Technician with the classes. The state is providing 10 car seats a month to the Sheriff’s Office.
An announcement will be forthcoming on when those classes will be scheduled for the public to sign up and take.
“It’s our responsibility to keep our children safe,” said Sheriff Stacy Williams. “The Car Seat Mini-Grant is a great opportunity to help our community and help protect our children from serious injuries or death in motor vehicle crashes.”
Keeping kids safe when parents are behind the wheel can be a challenge for any parent, but in Georgia the numbers prove the program works. According to a release from the HCSO about the grant, some 437 children were saved by car seats since 2007 after being inside of a vehicle in a crash with injuries or fatalities.
Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cited in the release also added positive proof that car seats work. The NHTSA reported that fatal injuries are reduced by 71% among infants and 54% among children 1 to 4 when they are in a car seat.
However, the same data presented came along with this caveat: three out of four parents installing a car seat aren’t doing so properly and can “place their children at unnecessary risk.”
Those who want more information about the HCSO’s car seat program can contact Paige at the Sheriff’s Office at 770-646-2011, or email paige.atkins@haralsoncountyga.gov.
