Health departments in Cherokee, Gilmer, Murray, Pickens and Whitfield counties have been awarded the 2025 Car Seat Mini-Grant by the Georgia Department of Public Health, Injury Prevention Program.
Through the mini-grant, county health departments and local partners work together to provide car seats and education to financially eligible families in their communities. This program is funded by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to help ensure Georgia’s children are safe while riding in motor vehicles.
And it works. Since 2007, the education, car seats and booster seats provided through the mini-grant prevented serious injury or death and saved more than 460 of Georgia’s children who were involved in crashes.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, car seats reduce fatal injuries by 71% among infants and by 54% among children ages 1 to 4 in passenger cars. Car seats offer the best protection for children in the event of a crash, and they are most effective when installed and used correctly. Nearly three out of every four car seats are not used properly, placing children at unnecessary risk.
The Car Seat Mini-Grant represents a significant opportunity to protect children in each community from serious injuries or death resulting from motor vehicle accidents.
Through this grant, the health departments and their partners will educate parents and caregivers on how to install and use car seats properly, offer car seat inspections and provide car seats and booster seats to financially eligible families. Through the Car Seat Mini-Grant, agencies supporting more than 135 counties are working to keep Georgia’s children safe. These programs help families get their children buckled up right on every trip, every time.
For more information about the car seat program locally, call the Murray County Health Department at (706) 695-4585 or the Whitfield County Health Department at (706) 279-9600.
For information regarding other counties involved in the program, please email the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Child Occupant Safety Project at injury@dph.ga.gov.
Submitted by the North Georgia Health District 1-2.