|

Motor
vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death of children in
the United States. When used properly, child safety
seats reduce the risk of hospitalizations by 69% and reduce
the injury and death by 71% for rear-facing children and 54%
for forward-facing children. However, the misuse of
child safety seats is tremendous. Approximately 95%
of child safety seats in Maine are incorrect.
The
National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has
developed a standardized curriculum to train individuals as
Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Technicians. CPS
technicians have the knowledge and skills to be able to
identify and correct misuse of child safety seats and educate
parents and caregivers on how to properly use their child
safety seat. The national curriculum is taught
by Certified CPS Instructors and, upon completion of the
class, the student is eligible for certification as a
Technician.
The
Child Passenger Safety Technician Training is not for
everyone. This class is designed for people who either
currently are - or plan to be - involved in child safety seat
issues at the local level. Specifically, it is designed
to provide advanced technical training for people who will be
involved in community child safety seat inspection inspection
stations, car seat checkup events and other
"hands-on" car seat activities.
Becoming
a CPS technician means making a commitment to be involved on a
routine basis. As those of you who have been involved in
technical child safety seat issues know, dealing with
technical issues is similar to learning a foreign language...
unless you "use your knowledge" on a regular basis,
you lose proficiency quickly!
If
you share the desire to learn the technical skills required to
install and inspect child safety seats and will be involved
with child safety seat issues and events, this class is for
you. If this does not sound like a class for you, but
you would like to be involved with promoting CPS, please check
with us regarding ways you can be involved. Awareness
Workshops are also available and can be scheduled to meet your
needs.
Safe
Kids Maine and the Maine
Department of Health and Human Services, Bureau of Health
provide Child Passenger Safety Technician Trainings in Maine.
Students must register for a class through the Class
Administrator. If you have any questions about a
specific class, please contact the Class Administrator.
For
additional information about the National Standardized Child
Passenger Safety Training Program National Certification,
please visit the National
Child Passenger Safety Board at www.cpsboard.org
|