TxDOT to host Child Passenger Safety Press Conference
Written by admin, Sep 22, 2011, 0 Comments
Courtesy Raul Leal,
LAREDO,Tx- A mid-morning Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Press Conference will take place at the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Laredo District Office at 1817 Bob Bullock Loop. The event will be held tomorrow Friday, September 23, 2011 at 10 a.m. to strongly encourage parents, caregivers and the entire community to properly secure their children in car seats.
Spearheading tomorrow’s list of guests is the Honorable Isidro R. Alaniz, Jr., District Attorney of Webb and Zapata Counties , and the Honorable Rosie Cuellar-Castillo, Laredo Municipal Court Judge, who will be discussing the importance of securing children in the proper safety seat, conducting child passenger safety seat check-ups and providing on-on-one instruction on correct child safety seat installation. The Texas Child Restraint law requires children younger than 8 years old or shorter than 4 feet 9 inches to be in child restraint seats.
Alaniz and Cuellar-Castillo will be joined by certified child passenger safety technicians from Doctor’s Hospital of Laredo , Laredo Police Department, Laredo Fire Department and TxDOT with support from the Texas Department of Public Safety and Webb County Sheriff Department. Texas Department of State Health Services Safe Riders will not be present at the press conference but they will provide a CPS senior instructor to insure all child car seats are properly installed.
With 3 out 4 child passenger safety seats incorrectly installed, this is final push to help Texas families “Buckle Them Right� in Laredo . Your coverage of this news event is requested and in advance, very much appreciated.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and TxDOT research show that:
– Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children 14 years old and younger
(based on figures from the National Center for Health Statistics).
– Child safety seats reduce the likelihood of an infant (under 1 year old) being killed in a vehicle crash by 71 percent, and reduce the likelihood to toddlers (1 to 4 years old) by 54 percent.
– Children ages 4 to 7 who use booster seats are 59 percent less likely to be injured in car crashes than children who are restrained only by seat belts, according to a study by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia .
– Approximately 9,310 lives have been saved from 1975 to 2009 by the proper use of car seats.
