Commissioner Causey Urges Parents to Keep Kids Safe | Eastern North Carolina Now

News Release

    GREENSBORO     Insurance Commissioner Mike Causey on Monday joined the Governor's Highway Safety Program, law enforcement agencies, and first responders in urging parents to make sure their children are secured in a child safety seat when they're riding in a car, and to make sure the seat is property installed.
Insurance Commissioner Mike causey, near center, speaking at Governor's Highway Safety Program: Above.
    Causey was joined by Cheryl Leonard, assistant director of the Governor's Highway Safety Program, Greensboro Police Chief Wayne Scott, and Zack Hardy, a child passenger safety technician whose young daughter was properly secured in a car seat and escaped injury in a rural Guilford County car accident last November.

    The Child Passenger Safety kickoff, held at Babies R Us store at Wendover Place in Greensboro, focused on protecting babies and toddlers from injury in car crashes, which are a leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 13.

    "Child safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers," Causey said. "When proper restraints are used - every time you ride in a car - it saves lives, period."
Insurance Commissioner Mike causey, near center, with child and the NC Highway Patrol: Above.
    Hardy has first-hand knowledge of the benefits of a child properly placed in a child safety seat. Last November, he got word that his wife and 11-month-old daughter, Hadleigh, had been in an accident. The car went down and embankment and turned upside down in a creek.

    Hardy was told his wife and daughter were OK, but were going to go to the hospital to get checked out. When Hardy arrived at the hospital to meet his family, the emergency room nurse told him whoever installed the child safety seat did a great job. Hardy installed the child safety seat himself after completing a child passenger safety technician course. He is a certified technician for the Summerfield Fire Department.

    Causey said law enforcement across the state will be stepping up enforcement of the state's child safety seat law this week. In addition, Safe Kids organizations across the state will hold Seat Check Saturday events to help parents and care-givers make sure their seats are installed properly.

    "At these events, trained technicians will provide free car seat inspections and training to help parents and care-givers buckle kids in safely," Causey said.

    Causey said there are more than 80 permanent checking stations located at fire stations and other sites in North Carolina. Stations can be found at www.buckleupnc.org.

    -NCDOI-

    Contact: Bob Rosser or Colin Day

        (919) 807-6011