|
Seat
belts have been proven to save lives.
It’s the best defense you can have on the road.
Recent surveys indicate that 74% of county residents wear their
seat belts.
According
to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:
· Seat
belt use nationwide reached 82% in 2005.
· 89%
of children involved in crashes
were unrestrained.
· buckling
a seat belt can improve the chance of surviving a potentially fatal crash
by from 45% to 73% depending on the type of vehicle and seating position.
Crashes
are not accidents. Accidents
cannot be prevented.
The
highway safety program at the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health
Department participates in “Click It or Ticket,” “Buckle Up,
America,” and "Saved by the Belt" and other programs that help
to save lives and reduce injuries.
The health educator speaks to various business, school and
community groups on seat belt usage. Current
seat belt laws can be found at: www.tntrafficsafety.org
For more information on these activities or to
schedule a speaker, please call the Highway Safety office at (423)
209-8200.
|
The
car seat give-away program at the Chattanooga-Hamilton County
Health Department serves Hamilton
County residents when funding is available. Presently, we
use a convertible seat because it can be used at broader weights
and ages.
To
qualify for a free car seat an applicant:
·
must
be a resident of Hamilton County.
·
must
be a recipient of WIC or TennCare.
·
must
attend one of our classes to learn correct installation
·
must
not bring infants or children to class
·
must
have
a privately-owned vehicle available for class
Proof in documentation must be
brought on the day of the class.
After
viewing a brief video, class participants are shown how to
properly restrain a child in the child restraint seat.
Participants are asked to do this before they are shown the
correct way to put the restraint in the vehicle.
Finally, parents are taught how to install the child
restraint seat in the vehicle.
Current TN child passenger
safety laws can be viewed
@ www.tntrafficsafety.org
Proper
Child Safety Seat Use Chart
Buckle Everyone. Children Age 12 and Under in
Back! |
| |
INFANTS |
TODDLER |
YOUNG
CHILDREN |
| WEIGHT |
Birth to 1 year
at least 20-22 lbs. |
Over 1 year and
Over 20 lbs.-40 lbs. |
Over 40 lbs.
Ages 4-8, unless 4'9''. |
| TYPE of SEAT |
Infant only or rear-facing
convertible |
Convertible / Forward-facing |
Belt positioning booster seat |
| SEAT POSITION |
Rear-facing only |
Forward-facing |
Forward-facing |
| ALWAYS MAKE SURE: |
Children to one year and at
least 20 lbs. in rear-facing seats
Harness straps at or below shoulder level |
Harness straps should be at or
above shoulders
Most seats require top slot for forward-facing |
Belt positioning booster seats
must be used with both lap and shoulder belt.
Make sure the lap belt fits low and tight across the lap/upper
thigh area and the shoulder belt fits snug crossing the chest
and shoulder to avoid abdominal injuries |
| WARNING |
All children age 12 and under
should ride in the back seat |
All children age 12 and under
should ride in the back seat |
All children age 12 and under
should ride in the back seat |
Our
car seat hot line is (423) 209-8200.
We
take two appointments at each time available to allow a hands-on
approach and one–on-one demonstrations.
|
Did
you know…
- It
takes your body 1 hour to process 1 drink?
- The
designated driver is not the one who has had the least amount of
alcohol, but the one who has had none?
- You
can still have some problems with thinking, memory and reasoning 48
hours after a night of heavy drinking?
- The
alcohol in champagne and other “bubbly” drinks absorbs more
quickly, so you get drunk faster when you drink them?
- The
only cure for a hangover is time?
- One shot,
One beer
and One wine cooler
have approximately the same amount of alcohol
The
drinking and driving prevention program at the health department seeks to
reduce the number of alcohol-related injuries and fatalities through
education, enforcement and legislation.
Currently,
alcohol-related fatalities comprise about one third of motor vehicle crash
deaths.
For
information on drinking and drugged driving prevention, please call (423)
209-8242.
The goal of Healthy People 2010 is to “reduce injuries,
disabilities and deaths due to unintentional injuries and violence”
(Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention).
Based
on the guidelines established by Healthy People 2010, the Injury
Prevention Program of the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Health Department
focuses on reducing the number and severity of injuries in our community.
Through partnerships with other safety-oriented organizations, we
are able to provide a broad range of interactive learning experiences.
The Injury Prevention coordinator builds
relationships with business, church, civic and education leaders in order
to reach a broad and diverse population.
We
are a resource for contacts, educational materials and programs.
Topics include bicycle and wheel sport safety,
fall prevention, alcohol and drugs, water safety, poison
prevention, playground safety, and safe
babysitting practices.
In conjunction with area sponsors and volunteers, we host a bicycle rodeo at the Tennessee RiverPark
in May.
This fun-filled event provides children with skill training, safety
information, prizes and free food. Bicycle
helmets are typically provided at no charge to the first 100 registered
children.
To
learn more about injury prevention topics online, follow the links below.
For
additional information regarding resources, educational materials and partnerships,
please call Injury Prevention at 423-209-8200.
- National Center for Injury Prevention and Control
www.cdc.gov/ncipc/ncipc/
- Injury Prevention Research Center
www.iprc.unc.edu/
- National SAFE KIDS Campaign: Promoting child safety to
prevent
unintentional Injury.
www.safekids.org
-
Injury Topics and Facts Sheets on CDC
online
www.cdc.gov/ncipc/cmprfact.htm
Administration
|
Community Health
| Case Management
| Clinical Health
|
Environmental Health
|
Health Department
Home| County
Home
|
