FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 25, 2002  

Contact: Mark Armstrong

Phone: 978-454-2113

Email: carseats@dracutfire.com

Dracut Fire Department Receives Child Passenger Safety Grant and Hosts Car Seat Checkpoint

The Dracut Fire Department was awarded a $2,000 grant from the Governor’s Highway Safety Bureau (GHSB) to expand its child passenger safety program. The GHSB awarded 8 of these grants to fire departments as part of its statewide effort to educate parents and caregivers about how to properly install a child safety seat or booster seat in motor vehicles.

“With this GHSB grant, the Dracut Fire Department can better serve parents and caregivers who want to protect their children from motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries,” said Chief Leo Gaudette. “It will also help us to get the word out that the safest place for children 12 and under is properly restrained in the back seat, regardless of whether or not a car has front seat air bags. We can also keep reminding adults that they must set a good example for kids by obeying the law and buckling up.”

Nationwide traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for children 5 to 14. There were nine fatalities and 4,695 injuries involving children 12 and under in Massachusetts in 2000.

“Car seats, when properly installed, reduce the risk of death by 71% for infants and 54 % for toddlers,” said Nancy J. Luther, Executive Director of the Governor’s Highway Safety Bureau. “Unfortunately, approximately 95% of all child safety seats are installed incorrectly. The Swift Administration is pleased to provide this grant funding to the Dracut Fire Department to support its child passenger safety efforts.”

As a result of this grant, the Dracut Fire Department is hosting a Child Passenger Safety Checkpoint in the new headquarters located at 488 Pleasant St across from Monahan Field. Parents should bring their child’s car seat on Wednesday December 11 between 10 AM and 1 PM. Certified technicians from the Dracut Fire Department, Massachusetts State Police and many other surrounding communities will be there to correctly install child safety seats. The checkpoint is also sponsored by the Dracut Firefighter's Union, Lenzi's Catering, and Good Olde Yum Yum.

Anyone not able to attend the checkpoint can call the Dracut Fire department for an appointment at 978-454-2113.

Massachusetts law requires all children to ride in a federally-approved child safety seat until they are at least five years old AND they weigh over 40lbs. Children who weigh over 40 lbs but are under five must ride in booster seats. For children five years of age or older AND weighing 40 to 80 lbs a booster seat is recommended. Children five years of age or older AND weighing over 80 lbs must wear a safety belt that is properly adjusted. This is a primary enforcement law. A police officer may stop a car if one or more children are riding unrestrained. A driver will be fined $25.00 for each unrestrained child.

The Dracut Fire Department wants to remind the public that Massachusetts law requires everyone to buckle up. Adults need to set a good example for children, because 70% of youngsters whose parents don’t use safety belts will not buckle up when they grow up. A 2000 GHSB study found only a 50% safety belt use rate among front seat occupants of all ages in Massachusetts.

For more information on child passenger safety, including a list of child passenger safety technicians across Massachusetts, please go to www.mass.gov/ghsb or www.dracutfire.com/carseats.