FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, January 19, 2001
Contact: Tim Hurd
Telephone: 202-366-9550
NHTSA 5-01

U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater today announced that 48 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Virgin Islands and Indian tribes will share $7.5 million to implement child passenger protection programs designed to prevent motor vehicle crash deaths and injuries to children.

"The proper use and installation of child safety seats, booster seats and seat belts protect our children, our most precious resource," Secretary Slater said. "Today we have the highest rate of child safety seat usage ever in history, and these grants will help more Americans understand the importance of these safety devices and attest to President Clinton and Vice President Gore’s record on safety, which has been this Administration’s highest transportation priority."

This is the second year that grants have been awarded to states for promoting child passenger safety education and training activities. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that approximately 20 to 25 percent of children ages 1 through 15 years old ride unrestrained, placing them at more than twice the risk of death and injury as those riding restrained.

"Children are at risk if they are not properly restrained when riding in a vehicle," said NHTSA Administrator Dr. Sue Bailey. "Child safety seats, including booster seats, reduce the risk of fatal injury in a crash by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers. Children ages 12 and under are always safest when properly restrained in the back seat."

The grants are authorized by Section 2003(b) of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century which President Clinton signed into law on June 9, 1998 and thus are often referred to as "Section 2003(b) grants." The award amounts range from $18,938 to $725,657 per recipient.

Funds provided to the states will be used to educate the public on all aspects of child passenger safety, and to train and retrain child passenger safety professionals concerning all aspects of child restraint use.

The following table lists the states receiving grants and their grant amounts.

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Briefing Room