LAKE COUNTY – Keeping children safe is important year-round, but over the past week local efforts to increase safety for children have taken on special significance as part of National Child Passenger Safety Week.
On Sept. 20 officials recognized Hidden Valley Lake resident Sarah Egger, whose 6-year-old daughter, Audrey, was properly restrained when they were hit head-on by a driver in a May collision on Highway 29 just north of Highland Springs. A passenger in the other car died.
Egger and her daughter were safe thanks to following safety precautions, said Tammy Alakszay, Lake County Office of Education instructor for the Lake County Child Passenger Safety Program.
The award Egger received is the third given to a family to acknowledge their safety efforts, said Alakszay.
Efforts to keep children safe in vehicles also were recognized on Tuesday, when the Board of Supervisors awarded a proclamation to the Lake County Child Passenger Safety Program.
Alakszay said Lake County First Five received a grant three years ago for child passenger safety and bicycle helmets.
The grant, said Alakszay, aims “to make all Lake County children safer.”
At the time the grant was received, the county only had two child passenger safety technicians, one of which was retiring. However, in February 2006, 11 new technicians were certified following the completion of a four-day training.
Since then, 10 of the original 11 have re-certified and continue to educate and properly install car safety restraints for children, Alakszay said.
At the start of 2008, a second technician’s class was held and today Lake County has 22 certified child passenger safety technicians and one instructor, she said. Both Redbud Community Hospital and Sutter Lakeside Hospital also have car seat technicians.
Alakszay said in the past three years more than 16 safety seat checkup events, numerous classes and school presentations have occurred.
The rule of thumb has been that children need to be 6 years old or 60 pounds to start riding without a car seat. But Alakszay stresses that even older children need to be put through a five-point test to discover the safest way for them to ride.
Older children who are smaller – Alakszay uses her own child as an example – may still need to use child safety seats.
Correct use is key. She said that, on average, 98 percent of all restraints have some type of misuse.
Alakszay said the three-year grant is running out the end of September. They recently purchased their last round of replacement safety seats.
First Five Lake County will fund one additional technician’s class in October to certify 10 technicians and two instructors, she said.
Part of the grant's goal was to establish child car seat “fitting stations” in communities around the county, said Alakszay.
With the grant about to end, Alakszay said the goal is to sustain the child safety seat service via staffing these fitting stations, and encouraging parents and caregivers to make sure their children are properly restrained.
Alakszay said the program is always looking for grants, but they were recently turned down for one grant and haven't yet found any to continue the program's full range of services. She said if they could find more funding they want to do more educational programs at local schools.
The fitting stations, which will continue offering services, can be found at the following locations:
Clearlake: Lake County Fire Protection District Station, Olympic Drive; telephone 994-2170.
Kelseyville: California Highway Patrol, Highway 29 and Live Oak Drive; telephone 279-0103.
Middletown: South Lake County Fire Protection District Station, Highway 175; telephone 987-3089, Extension 1.
Upper Lake: Northshore Fire Protection District Station, Main Street; telephone 275-2446.
More information also is available through the Lake County Child Passenger Safety Information Line: 262-4155.
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at
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