More child car seats and safety education classes.

That’s what the County Health and Human Services Agency will be offering to low-income parents thanks to a program funded by a $155,000 grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The funds will be used to provide child passenger safety education classes and to give 200 free child safety seats to people in need.

Keeping low-income children safe while they ride with their parents or friends is part of the County’s Live Well San Diego vision, which aims to improve the health and safety of children and families in the region.

The child safety workshops and free child car seats will be provided through Sept. 2017 and are part of the Keep ‘Em Safe program. This is the seventh year the County has received funding from Office of Traffic Safety.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 602 children age 12 and younger died in 2014 in motor vehicle crashes in the U.S. About 34 percent of those children were in a child safety car seat or using a seat belt.

Motor vehicle injuries remains a public health challenge, especially among low-income families and communities.  Accessibility to education is critical for many minority groups because they are less likely to restrain their children due to cultural and socio-economic factors.

A new California law requires that kids under the age of two be fastened into rear-facing child safety seats, unless the child weights at least 40 pounds or is 40 inches tall.

The Keep ‘Em Safe program will fund a safety education campaign, including presentations on the proper installation and use of a child passenger restraint system for children of all ages.

For more information about the Keep ‘Em Safe program, contact the Pacific Safety Center at 858-621-2313 ext. 114 or 855-4-PSC-411 (toll-free).