A Crash Survivor and CPST Pays It Forward

Jenny Harty found her passion for promoting CPS the hard way: On July 1, 2002, her family was involved in a serious hit-and-run crash with a logging truck. The first responders and doctors who tended to her 5-year-old daughter, Madison, assured Harty that her daughter was alive thanks to proper booster use.

A grateful Harty went on to dedicate her prodigious energy and talents to helping other children stay safe. She became a CPST in 2003 and began advocating for an upgrade to the child occupant protection (COP) law in her home state of Georgia. Largely thanks to her efforts, Madison’s Booster Seat Law was enacted on July 1, 2004—exactly two years after the Hartys’ crash.

The updated law required CR or booster use by children under age 6, an improvement over the prior Georgia COP law that covered children only to age 4. Still, Harty recognized that the law fell short of best practice. As is often the case, compromises were made to the bill that was proposed as it went through the legislative process.

So, while the 2004 law was a step in the right direction, Harty was not satisfied. Undeterred, she pushed for further improvements and, in 2011, was successful in passing the state’s current version of Madison’s Booster Seat Law, which requires CR or booster use until a child is 8 years old or 57 inches tall, provided the seat belt fits properly at that time.

Passage of these laws, however, was only one aspect of Harty’s outreach—the public needed to be aware of and follow the law, as well as understand best practice. Harty worked many angles to promote each new law. She and Madison have appeared together in many impactful public service announcements that promote booster use.

Her advocacy and outreach drew the attention of Montlick Injury Attorneys, a Georgia law firm with a longstanding commitment to community safety. In 2017, Harty was hired to launch the firm’s public service program, iRideSafe, where she continues to serve as program director and the firm’s director of community relations.

About the firm’s notable commitment to safety, CEO David Montlick explains, “We see the devastation and heartache that families experience after a serious car crash, and we never want to see anyone get hurt.” (This investment in CPS outreach by a law firm is the first of its scale that SRN has heard of. If readers know of others, please share by emailing info@saferidenews.com.)

The mission of iRideSafe is to motivate, educate, and facilitate safety for both drivers and passengers. The public service program offers educational videos, downloadable safety guides, and other resources, while also championing broader safety initiatives. Notably, Harty and Montlick played a key role in the passage of Georgia’s Hands-Free Law in 2018. To learn more about iRideSafe, click here.
In addition to her work with Montlick, Harty has served on the Board of Directors for the AAA Traffic Safety Foundation, the Georgia Governor’s Occupant Protection Task Team, and the Georgia Governor’s Distracted Driving Task Team. For Harty, the mission has always been deeply personal. “There are no mulligans, no second chances, when it comes to surviving a car crash,” she says. “That’s why I’m dedicated to giving every child the same fighting chance my daughter had.”