Hawaii Department of Health Emphasizes Child Passenger Safety

Citing traffic-related injuries as “one of the leading causes of death and injuries for children of all ages nationwide,” the Hawaii State Department of Health urged parents and caregivers to take advantage of all opportunities to educate themselves on the proper use of car seats and other safety precautions for transporting children. DOH presents statistics that are alarming when set side by side:

• Properly used car seats can reduce the risk of death to infants by 71 percent and to toddlers by 54 percent.
• Four out of five child car seats are installed incorrectly.

The Hawaii Child Passenger Safety Program is a partnership of DOH and several organizations including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Safe Kids Worldwide, Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition and several other community organizations. They seek to use the 252 certified child passenger safety technicians and 21 certified instructors in a variety of programs and activities that offer hands-on educational opportunities for parents and caregivers.

According to the DOH’s Hawaii Injury Prevention Plan, youngsters up to 14 years of age accounted for only four percent of fatally injured motor vehicle occupants and seven percent of all nonfatally injured occupants in the years 2007 to 2011. Still, we shouldn’t be satisfied until children’s injuries and deaths in motor vehicle accidents are statistically negligible.

Cronin, Fried, Sekiya, Kekina & Fairbanks, Attorneys at Law represents children who have been tragically injured. So we know that no amount of money can truly compensate for the harm a child suffers at such a tender age. We applaud the DOH’s efforts to reduce the risk of injury to child passengers, but other areas must also be addressed. In those same years, 2007 to 2011, youngsters accounted for almost 20 percent of nonfatally injured pedestrians and almost 38 percent of nonfatally injured bicyclists. Clearly, additional traffic safety education for the children themselves is in order.

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious injury in a traffic accident, call Cronin, Fried, Sekiya, Kekina & Fairbanks at 808.524.1433 to schedule a free consultation or contact our Honolulu office online.

By Cronin Fried | Published January 6, 2017 | Posted in Personal Injury | Tagged Child Passenger Safety Program, HIPP, injured children | Comments Off on Hawaii Department of Health Emphasizes Child Passenger Safety