Buncombe County Extension Homemakers Promoting Child Safety Seats, 1985

From the October-December issue of Tar Heel Homemakers, 1985

The Buncombe County Extension Homemakers are very enthusiastically involved with a Child Safety Seat Project. The interest was stimulated last year when one of their members observed a program on seat belt safety at the National Extension Homemakers Council Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.

The purpose of the project is to promote the proper use of child safety seats, to educate parents and grandparents on types of child restraint systems available, and to encourage adults to use seat belts as an example to children. This comes at an opportune time since North Carolina seat belt laws are in effect for children as well as adults.

Club members took three training programs in order to become qualified to promote the project and met with Buncombe County Sheriff Thomas Morrissey to solicit his support and involvement.

They have had several articles in the newspapers, public service announcements on the radio, and have been on three television news documentaries.

They have prepared a puppet show, “The Smith Family Takes a Trip,” which they are using at schools, county libraries, and shopping centers.

EH are conducting child safety clinics at McDonald’s, Burger King, Asheville Shopping Mall, River Ridge Shopping Mall, Bele Chere Festival, and County-City Plaza. Checking stations ran June through November. To expand and reach more people, several safety seat checks have been scheduled in conjunction with the Child Find Program, which is done by the Sheriff’s Department for fingerprinting and video taping of children. At all these clinics, we are checking child seats and giving out educational materials, activity books, coloring books and stickers.

Buncombe EH are very pleased with the progress we have achieved, and through our efforts we feel that many injuries will be prevented and lives will be saved. The project has given us the opportunity to work closer with our community and share our Extension Homemaker program with the public.