The section facilitated a statewide planning statewide child passenger safety strategic planning process. A team of child passenger safety experts and advocates assessed the current status of child passenger safety programs and scope of resources in Michigan to identify strengths, weaknesses and gaps. A five-year strategic plan with recommendations for improving child passenger safety in Michigan has been prepared and forwarded for departmental approval.

Booster Seat Campaign

MDCH is in its final year of a 4-year cooperative agreement (FY04-FY07) with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to increase the correct use of appropriate child restraint systems, with a specific emphasis on booster seats among low use groups in Michigan.

Michigan Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Coalition

As part of the cooperative agreement, a statewide coalition of child passenger safety experts and advocates was formed to assist in the development of community-based booster seat intervention plans. Members of the Michigan CPS Coalition represent law enforcement, highway safety, the automobile industry, SAFE KIDS groups, local public health departments, hospitals, insurers, and other state and community partners concerned with child passenger safety. The coalition continues to meet quarterly.

Community Booster Seat Interventions

Two grants in the amount of $50,000 were awarded to DeVos Children's Hospital, and Branch-Hillsdale-St. Joseph Community Health Agency. Each award covered an 18-month grant period of April 1, 2005 through September 30, 2006. Grantees developed a booster seat intervention program. The programs included the following components: education, media, child restraint fitting station, and child restraint/booster seat giveaways.

Evaluation

MDCH and CDC worked with the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute in 2004 to conduct a statewide direct observation study of booster seat use. In the first study of its kind, UMTRI found that only 8.6 percent of Michigan children ages 4-8 were using a booster seat, 48.8 percent of 4-8 year old children were belted incorrectly in an adult safety belt, 5.1 percent were in a child restraint when they should have been in a booster, and 37.5 percent were completely unrestrained.

A second study gathered telephone interview data on booster seat use from a sample of 350 Michigan parents with children between the ages of 4 and 8 years. Results indicated that the lack of legislation mandating booster seat use was a key variable determining level of use and motivation to use booster seats. Technical reports for both studies are available upon request.

The direct observation survey and the statewide telephone survey will be repeated in the summer of 07.

Child Passenger Safety Certification Training

The section annually conducts the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Standardized Child Passenger Safety Training Course. Successful completion of the course requirements provides national certification as a child passenger safety technician.

Certified technicians are needed to assist with the many child safety seat inspections conducted around the state. Attendees of the course included law enforcement, fire/public safety, local health department staff, hospital personnel, and loaner program staff members.

Currently there are 45 certified instructors in the state and over 900 certified technicians.

Another training goal is to strengthen the network of current child passenger safety technicians and technician instructors in the state. A high level of expertise must be maintained to provide quality child passenger safety education to parents and caregivers.

The section leads the Michigan Child Passenger Safety Instructor Team to better address Michigan's training needs. The team meets several times a year.

Public Child Safety Seat Inspections 

The SAFE KIDS Michigan Coalition and local coalitions and chapters sponsor periodic public child safety seat inspections. These events are open to the public and child safety seats are inspected for proper use, recalls, structural integrity, missing pieces, etc.

According to data collected during these check up events, approximately 95% of all child safety seats are not used correctly. Thousands of new child safety seats have been provided to families with old, unsafe and/or recalled seats through this program.

To locate a child safety seat check near you, go to www.michigansafekids.org and click on Calendar of Events on the left-hand side.