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Child Passenger Safety (CPS) via Safe Kids NC

Category

Child & Family Health

Child's Age

Prenatal, 0-1 years, 1-2 years, 2-3 years, 3-4 years, 4-5 years

Participant

Parents/Guardian

Languages

English, Spanish

Brief Description

Child Passenger Safety (CPS) services increase families' access to child passenger safety education to prevent childhood injuries and death. A Nationally Certified CPS Technician works one-on-one with caregivers who learn how to choose the correct seat for their child’s height and weight, how to properly secure their child into the car seat, and how to properly install their car seats. CPS services will be coordinated with the local Safe Kids coalition and aligned with the North Carolina Child Passenger Safety Law (N.C.G.S. § 20-137.1).

Expected Impact

  • Increase in access to appropriate, safe, properly installed car seats
  • Increase in child passenger safety knowledge

Core Components for Model Fidelity

  • Child Passenger Safety Education: Child passenger safety education classes or training courses are provided by a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) at community events and/or through one-on-one interactions with families/caregivers. 
  • New Car Seats: Non-cash grants in the form of safe, new car seats provided to families/caregivers.
  • Safe Kids Coalition: Smart Start Local Partnerships (LPs) coordinate with the local Safe Kids Coalition in the community to ensure efficient coordination of services. If an LP leads the local coalition, then the LP will handle the program administration of child passenger safety services.

Languages Materials are Available in

English, Spanish

Delivery Mode

In-person via classes, community events and/or individual family training courses.

Dosage

Varies based on family and community needs.

Infrastructure for Implementation

Materials: Non-cash grants in the form of safe, new car seats can be provided to families/caregivers.

Space: Varies based on community need.

Staffing Requirements

Child passenger safety services should be provided by a nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST).

Training for Model Fidelity

National Child Passenger Safety Certification is a program of Safe Kids Worldwide.

Contact Information

https://www.safekids.org/coalition/safe-kids-north-carolina 

https://www.ncosfm.gov/community-risk-reduction/safe-kids 

Allan Buchanan: Safe Kids NC Coalition Coordinator; 919-218-7855; allan.buchanan@ncdoi.gov

Cost Estimates

Varies based on community need and coordination with other local coalitions. 

The National Child Passenger Safety Certification offered by Safe Kids Worldwide is available for a $95 fee. There may be an additional, variable local fee.

Purpose Service Code (PSC)

5506 - Family Support and Well-Being Services

Program Identifier (PID)

Child Passenger Safety via Safe Kids NC

Minimal Outputs for NCPC Reporting

FY 24-25:

  • Number of children participating
  • Number of parents/guardians participating†
  • Number of safe car seats received by families participating

†Select Family Support Programs data collection will include basic demographic data for parent/guardian participants including Race, Ethnicity. Data on interpretation and transportation will be collected when appropriate. 

Minimal Outcomes for NCPC Reporting

FY 24-25:

  • Increase in parent knowledge

Minimal Measures for NCPC Reporting

FY 24-25:

  • Parent Car Seat Safety Measure

NCPC Evidence Categorization

Evidence Informed- Industry Standard

Research Summary

Two of the most relevant publications on child passenger safety include a factsheet from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)1 and a study on the effectiveness of a car seat safety program.2 The CDC states that children most likely to suffer from injuries or fatalities as a result of a car crash are American Indian and Alaska Native or Black. Minority groups are more likely to travel unrestrained or using improper restraints. Other risk factors for child passenger deaths and injuries include living in rural counties, alcohol-impaired driving, unbuckled drivers, and incorrectly used booster seats and car seats. According to the CDC, child passenger safety education programs and booster seat/car seat distribution programs increase proper restraint use. These programs frequently partner with enforcement programs and child restraint laws. For example, in the study on car seat safety programs, caregivers attended a one-hour educational program provided by a Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST), which included an educational lecture and demonstration of proper car seat usage, hands-on training, and completion of a pre-post knowledge assessment of topics covered in the lecture. Caregivers received a car seat for their child after completing the course. Results indicated significant increases in knowledge of car seat safety, proper usage, and laws after completing the program. 

North Carolina state legislature requires proper child restraint systems in vehicles, N.C.G.S. § 20-137.1. A brief summary of seat belt laws in each state is provided by the International Institute for Highway Safety. The United States Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) prioritizes child passenger safety and provides prevention tips, information, fact sheets, resources, and more. Additionally, Safe Kids North Carolina is supported by the North Carolina Department of Insurance, Office of the State Fire Marshal. Smart Start Local Partnerships are encouraged to extend and support, not duplicate, the services provided by local Safe Kids coalitions.

  1. ^ See Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2023). This factsheet provides information regarding transportation safety for children. According to the CDC, 30% of children ages 0-3 years who were killed in car crashes were not buckled up properly. American Indian, Alaska Native, and Black children are more likely to be killed in a crash than White children and studies indicate that Black, Hispanic, and American Indian and Alaska Native children are more likely to travel improperly restrained or unrestrained. Fatalities among child passengers are higher in rural counties (4.5 per 100,000 people) compared to urban counties (0.9 per 100,000 people). Additional risk factors for child passenger deaths include alcohol-impaired driving, unbuckled drivers, and incorrectly used booster seats and car seats. Child passenger safety education and car seat/booster seat distribution programs increase proper restraint use. Education programs may partner with enforcement programs and child restraint laws.
  2. ^ See Budziszewski et al. (2021). This study investigated the effectiveness of a car seat program in a Level I Pediatric Trauma Center in an urban area. Caregivers (N = 200) attended a one-hour educational program provided by a Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST), which included an educational lecture and demonstration of proper car seat usage, hands-on training, and completion of a pre-post knowledge assessment of topics covered in the lecture. Caregivers received a car seat for their child after completing the course. Results indicated significant increases in knowledge of car seat safety, proper usage, and laws after completing the program.

Researched Population

  • National data on child passenger fatalities
  • Diverse racial and ethnic groups (including Alaska Native and American Indian, Black, and Hispanic populations)
  • Rural and urban populations

Budziszewski, R., Thompson, R., Lucido, T. Walker, J., Meyer, L. K., Arthur, L. G., & Grewal, H. (2021). Measuring the effectiveness of a car seat program in an urban, level one pediatric trauma center. Injury Epidemiology, 8(Suppl 1), 19. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40621-021-00313-1

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Child Passenger Safety: Get the Facts. https://www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/child_passenger_safety/cps-factsheet.html 

International Institute for Highway Safety. (n.d.). Seat belt and child seat laws. https://www.iihs.org/topics/seat-belts/seat-belt-law-table#fn1ref1 

N.C. Gen. Stat. § 20-137.1. (2022). https://www.ncleg.gov/EnactedLegislation/Statutes/PDF/BySection/Chapter_20/GS_20-137.1.pdf

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (n.d.). Child Safety. United States Department of Transportation. https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/child-safety 

Office of State Fire Marshal. (n.d.). Safe Kids. North Carolina Department of Insurance. https://www.ncosfm.gov/community-risk-reduction/safe-kids 

Safe Kids Worldwide. (n.d.). Safe Kids North Carolina. https://www.safekids.org/coalition/safe-kids-north-carolina 



Local Partnerships Currently Implementing

Local Partnerships in purple have adopted Child Passenger Safety (CPS) via Safe Kids NC. Local Partnership contact information can be found here.