The Campus Police Department of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center is partnering with the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) to patrol and conduct traffic stops during the National Child Passenger Safety Week from September 18 to September 24.
The Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO), a division of the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security, works to educate parents, caregivers and members of the community about child passenger safety and the proper use of car seats, boosters and seat belts to decrease injuries and fatal motor vehicle crashes. During this week, the UTHSC Campus Police Department will be conducting traffic stops in the Memphis Medical District and provide literature on child passenger safety procedures to drivers with children who are not buckled properly in their seats.
According to the THSO, motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children ages one to 13 in the country. “We want to ensure that each violator that’s stopped by our officers are made aware of the duties and responsibilities of being the driver,” said Campus Police Captain Joanne Morrow. “It is very important because we have commuters within our area, and if we provide action and educate those drivers, we can potentially save a child’s life.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that in 2019, 608 child passenger vehicle occupants died in traffic crashes. In that year, 38 percent of children who died while riding in passenger vehicles were unrestrained, compared to 33 percent in 2018.
For more information about child passenger safety, visit https://tntrafficsafety.org/cps.