Buckle Up Right, Every Trip, Every Time

VALDOSTA – Nine local health departments have been awarded the 2025 Car Seat Mini-Grant by the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Injury Prevention Program. South Health District is proud to announce that Ben Hill, Berrien, Brooks, Cook, Echols, Irwin, Lanier, Lowndes, and Turner Counties are recipients of this important grant.

Thanks to the Mini-Grant, our health departments can provide car seat safety education courses and distribute car seats to financially eligible families who complete the program. Funded by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety, this initiative is designed to help keep Georgia’s children safe while riding in motor vehicles.

And it’s making a difference. Since 2007, the education and car seats provided through the Mini-Grant have prevented serious injuries or fatalities and saved the lives of more than 460 children in Georgia involved in crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, car seats reduce the risk of fatal injuries by 71% among infants and by 54% among children ages 1 to 4 in passenger vehicles. However, these life-saving devices are most effective when used and installed correctly. Unfortunately, nearly three out of four car seats are not used properly, putting children at unnecessary risk.

“Keeping our children safe is one of our most important responsibilities,” said District Health Director Mark J. Eanes, MD. “The Car Seat Mini-Grant provides a vital opportunity to support families in our community and protect children from severe injuries or fatalities in motor vehicle accidents.”

Across the South Health District, our health department staff work with parents and caregivers to teach proper car seat installation and usage, provide car seat inspections, and offer car seats and booster seats to families in need. Through the Car Seat Mini-Grant, agencies in more than 135 counties across Georgia are working together to ensure children are safely secured on every trip, every time.

For more information about the car seat program in your county, contact your local health department.

For details about other counties participating in the program, please reach out to the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Child Occupant Safety Project via email at injury@dph.ga.gov.