Educational Materials for the Child Passenger Safety Field
News
CPSTs are the eyes and ears in the field, so it is important that they know about some new options for reporting problems to www.nhtsa.gov. NHTSA has long asked CPSTs and the public to report safety defects seen in vehicles, car seats, and tires. People can do so easily by clicking Report a Safety Problem at the top right of www.nhtsa.gov.
The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS), an organization comprised of state government school transportation leaders from all 50 states, recently issued an updated position paper on lap-shoulder belts and a new paper on the use of buckle guards. Find the papers, summarized below, under Resources at www.nasdpts.org.
Read More from “New Position Papers From State Directors Group Support Occupant Safety”A CPST in Minnesota contacted SRN after techs in her area began seeing that caregivers had CRs with Display Only labels, indicating they were made specifically for placement on store shelves. Are these safe, she wondered?
Read More from “Display-Only CRs Should Stay in Stores”The participation of manufacturers’ reps can greatly enhance any CPS conference, so be sure to visit the Manufacturer’s Alliance for CPS webpages while making your conference plans.
Read More from “Are You Scheduling a 2027 CPS Conference?”In May, NHTSA issued a report titled Child Passenger Safety State of Knowledge: A Literature Review. The nearly 100-page document summarizes CPS by reviewing the behavioral research (literature) on this topic published between 2000 and 2022.
The review provides information about the current state of CPS, starting with an introduction that gives a broad history of CPS, followed by dedicated chapters on the following topics:
Read More from “NHTSA Releases State of CPS Report”Ohio State University (OSU) and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia have released a series of videos to teach caregivers about the dangers of CR misuse. Support was provided by the National Safety Council and Evenflo.
Read More from “New Videos Compare Crashes With Proper CR Use Versus Misuse”In this recurring column, SRN shares vehicle-related information from Katrina Rose, SRN collaborator and vehicle liaison for the LATCH Manual. For this issue, Katrina responds to a question posed by SRN editor Denise Donaldson in reaction to a heartbreaking news story.
Question from Denise: I just read about a 20-year-old who died last October due to being trapped inside his Tesla when it caught on fire. Reading further, I find there have tragically been over a dozen other deaths like this, in which occupants couldn’t open a vehicle’s electronic doors because a crash or fire had caused a power failure. Is this something we need to look into to support family safety?
Read More from “Ask Katrina: Can People Exit Cars With Electronic Door Buttons When the Power Is Off?”In Oregon, a new rule from the Oregon Health Authority defines when the cost of an adaptive CR is covered by Medicaid and establishes outpatient billing codes for in-person seating assessments conducted by CPSTs who also have Safe Travel for All Children (STAC) training. Billing is allowed for the initial evaluation, vehicle fit assessment, and any follow-up visits.
In November, Safe Kids Worldwide (SKW) adopted a prenatal vehicle safety (PVS) enrichment training as one of its official endorsement programs, joining the CPS on School Buses and Safe Travel for All Children curricula. After a CPST completes the free, 1.5-hour PVS training, SKW will add Prenatal Vehicle Safety Educator as an endorsement on their CPST profile page. Attendees also earn 1.5 CEUs toward recertification.
From now on, don’t be surprised to see this new sticker on some CRs
In August, Baby Safety Alliance (BSA) announced it has expanded its product verification program to include CRs for the first time. Although recently renamed Baby Safety Alliance Verified, the program has operated for nearly 50 years under its former Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association name.
Read More from “What’s That Sticker? BSA Adds CRs to Longstanding Verification Program”