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Health Department awarded mini-grant for child car seats
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SPRINGFIELD — Effingham County Health Department is the recipient of the 2010 Car Seat Mini-Grant from the Georgia Department of Community Health, Division of Emergency Preparedness and Response, Injury Prevention Program.  Through the Mini-Grant Program, Effingham County Health Department will provide car seats and child passenger safety education to financially eligible families in Effingham County. The Governor’s Office of Highway Safety funds this program to help ensure that Georgia’s children are safe while riding in motor vehicles.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, car seats reduce fatal injuries by 71 percent among infants and by 54 percent among children ages 1 to 4 years in passenger cars. Car seats offer the best protection for children in the event of a crash, and they are most effective when installed and used correctly. Three out of every four car seats are not properly used, leaving these children less than optimally protected.

“It’s our responsibility to keep our children safe,” said Darrell M. O’Neal. “The car seat Mini-Grant is a great opportunity to help reduce the number of young lives lost in crashes.”

In Effingham County, the Health Department educates parents and caregivers on how to properly install and use car seats, offers car seat inspections and provides car seats and booster seats to financially eligible families. Through the Mini-Grant Program, agencies supporting more than 125 counties are working to keep Georgia’s children safe.

For more information about the Effingham County car seat program, contact the Health Department at 754-6850.