Medford Police Join Statewide Initiative to Promote Child Passenger Safety

Medford, Oregon– Beginning Monday, January 29, through Sunday, February 11, Medford Police, in collaboration with law enforcement agencies across Oregon, will actively participate in the Oregon Department of Transportation’s (ODOT) Safety Belt Overtime Enforcement Program. The initiative aims to raise awareness about safety belt and child seat laws, with a specific focus on legislation enacted in 2017 to enhance safety for children under the age of two.

According to ODOT crash data from 2021, 32% (119 out of 377) of motor vehicle occupant fatalities were attributed to the lack of safety belt or child restraint use. Nationwide, motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death for children between the ages of one and twelve. In Oregon alone, 1,475 children under the age of twelve were injured in traffic crashes in 2021, with 16% reported not using a child restraint system.

Studies indicate that proper car seat usage significantly enhances child safety in the event of a crash. Car seats may increase crash survival by 71% for infants under one year old and up to 59% for toddlers aged one to four. Booster seats, recommended for children aged four to eight, can reduce the chance of nonfatal injury by 45% compared to using safety belts alone.

The 2017 Oregon law mandates that children ride in a rear-facing safety seat until they reach at least two years old. Following this, a child over the age of two must continue using either a car seat with a harness or a booster seat until they are eight years old or 4′ 9″ in height, ensuring that the adult seat belt fits them correctly. This legislation, extending the rear-facing requirement from age one to two, aims to better protect children’s heads, necks, and spines from potential crash injuries by distributing crash forces evenly across the seat and the child’s body.

To assist parents and caregivers in selecting and installing child car seats correctly, resources such as the seat manufacturer’s instructions, the vehicle owner’s manual, or local child seat fitting stations can provide valuable guidance. A list of fitting stations is available at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s website: NHTSA Child Seat Fitting Stations.