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February 15th

"Safe Routes to School" Training

On February 15, 2006  the Bicycle Alliance of Washington will be in Spokane to host an eight hour "Safe Routes to School" training. The training will be facilitated by Barbara Culp, Executive Director and Dave Janis, Safe Routes Program Manager (both from the Bicycle Alliance of Washington) and David Levinger, Executive Director of Feet First. Participants will learn engineering, enforcement, education and encouragement strategies for designing and implementing Safe Routes for their school neighborhood.

The training session is free but seating is limited to 50 individuals. Please contact Ana Matthews at 509/324-3613 to reserve your seat and be sure to mark your calendar for February 15, 2006 from 8:00am - 5:00pm.

If you would like to learn more about "Safe Routes to School", please read the Federal Highway Administration's overview of the Safe Routes to School program Federal Highway Administration (FHWS) Safe Routes including each state's disbursement. This website will also include each state's Safe Routes to School coordinator as they are hired.

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February 21st

"Safely Transporting Your Child Through The Stages"

The Spokane Safe Kids' Child Passenger Safety Team and CHER are partnering to host "Safely Transporting Your Child Through The Stages".

The first training is scheduled Tuesday, February 21, 2006 from 6:00pm-8:00pm. The cost is $60.00 per individual/couple and limited to the first 15 registrants.

Participants will receive basic child transportation safety information and a convertible car seat. The two-hour class format will be one hour of instruction and one hour of supervised car seat installation. The classes are facilitated by certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians.

To register please contact CHER at 509/232-8138.

February 25th

"St. Charles School Safety Event"

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Booster Seats Protect Children and Save Lives

Based on information made available by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Every year children suffer needless injury. Children ages 4 to 8 who use booster seats are 59 percent less likely to be injured in a car crash than children who are restrained only by a safety belt, according to a study by Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). According to NHTSA, motor vehicle traffic crashes were the leading cause of death for every age 3 through 33.

A positive relationship between drivers using safety belts and children being restrained shows 92 percent of the children who were transported by belted drivers were restrained compared to only 62 percent of the children transported by unbelted drivers.

That's why the Spokane County Traffic Safety Commission is joining the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Spokane SAFE KIDS Coalition, the AD Council and others around Valentine's Day this year to commemorate Child Passenger Safety Week (Feb 12-18). The primary goal this year is to remind all parents and other adults responsible for children travelling in motor vehicles -- if the kids are under 4'9" tall, they need to be in a booster seat. Only an estimated 10 percent to 20 percent of children ages 4 to 8 use booster seats.

• This year on Valentine's Day and during Child Passenger Safety Week, remind all parents, grandparents and caregivers to use a booster seat to raise their kids to the right height in the car. If they're under 4'9" tall, put them in a booster seat!

• Children ages 4-8 are generally too small for adult safety belts. Adult safety belts incorrectly lay on a child's neck and along their stomachs. Kids need a "boost" to to ensure the safety belt will fit securely across their chests, and low enough to fit snuggly across their hips. Using the booster seat will ensure a child is property restrained to help prevent internal injuries, neck, head and spinal injuries, and even ejection and death in the event of a crash.

• As children grow, how they sit safely in a car, truck, van or SUV changes. For maximum child passenger safety, parents and caregivers need to remember and follow these 4 Steps for Kids:

Use rear-facing infant seats in the back seat from birth to at least one year of age and at least 20 pounds.

Use forward-facing toddler seats in the back seat from age one to 20 pounds to about age four and 40 pounds.

Use booster seats in the back seat from age four to at least age eight - unless the child is 4'9" or taller.

Use safety belts in the back seat at age eight or older or taller than 4'9".

For more information on booster seats and child passenger safety restraints, please visit our
Child Passenger Safety page or contact our office at 509/477-2342.

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