Catawba County has a 33 percent higher rate of motor vehicle crash deaths among the under-20 age group than the statewide total.  Nationwide, 80 of every 100 children that die in motor vehicle accidents would have been saved if they had worn a safety belt or been in a properly installed child safety seat.

Catawba Valley Medical Center’s Safe Kids Catawba County Coalition was formed in 1999 to help parents prevent accidental injury to children, the number-one killer of children ages 14 and under.  This includes injuries in and around motor vehicles and in motor vehicle crashes.

The Coalition is part of Safe Kids Worldwide, an international organization dedicated solely to the prevention of accidental childhood injury.  Catawba Valley Medical Center is the lead agency for the Coalition and provides a full-time coordinator for the program.  Coalition participants include representatives from the county’s public health, fire, police, and emergency medical services along with the United Way, area businesses, and other agencies.

The Safe Kids Catawba County Coalition educates parents, caregivers, and children about safety through free community events, such as the following:

• Safety workshops for children and parents (school groups welcome)
• Child passenger safety seat classes
• Child passenger safety seat inspections by appointment
• Summer Kids Corner presentations
• N.C. Safe Kids “Buckle Up” Distribution Program
• Medical Explorer Scouting classes and events
• National Child Passenger Safety Week
• Bike rodeos
• Health fairs
• Annual Safe Kids Fair

Perhaps best known is the Coalition’s child passenger safety seat initiative.  Through this program, parents can schedule appointments to get child passenger safety seats checked for proper size and installation at the Health First Center, or they can attend various car seat inspection clinics held regularly across the county. Additionally, any parent or caregiver on Medicaid can receive a child passenger safety seat for a $20 co-payment through the Health First Center, the Conover Fire Department, or the Catawba County Health Department.

The Safe Kids Coalition conducts routine car seat checks, free educational programs, and an annual health fair to help prevent childhood motor vehicle fatalities.