If the first graders at Shadow Rock Elementary School are any indication, a lot of DeKalb County kids are making sure they're getting a safe ride in cars, and teaching their parents a thing or two in the process.

It's all part of the DeKalb County Board of Health's Booster Seat Program, which began in October 2002 and hopes to reach every pre-kindergarten to second grade child in DeKalb County. To date, the Booster Seat Program has been an extraordinary success, teaching car safety basics to over 6,000 DeKalb County four to nine year olds in less than six months.

According to Anastacia Espada Jacob, coordinator of Safe Communities of DeKalb, "Once a child is too big for a convertible seat, parents often place him or her directly into the vehicle's seat using only a seat belt. Seat belts are made for adults. They don't fit children properly and could injure or even kill a child if there's a crash," she explained.

These considerations are serious enough that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration now recommends that all children who've outgrown their car seats continue to ride in booster seats until they're at least 4 feet 9 inches tall. A booster seat does exactly what the name suggests: it boosts a child up so that the vehicle's lap and shoulder belts fit properly, helping to prevent the child from being injured by the belt or thrown from the car during a crash.

Prior to the classes, teachers are given a book entitled "I'm Safe in the Car" to read to students. On the day of the class, instructors bring in the actual seat of a car that children can sit on to show instructors how they normally ride in the car. The instructors then show the class how to use a booster seat and explain how the seat makes kids who aren't "big enough" for a seat belt safer.

Children also participate in a play scenario in which they roll a toy car with wooden passengers down a ramp to demonstrate what could happen if there was a crash and the "people" did not buckle up. In addition to booster seats, the children also learn about air bags, school bus safety, how sitting in the front seat or sharing a seat belt with others can be dangerous and other topics.

At the end of the program, the children play a game called "Wheel of Safety" in which they spin a wheel and answer questions related to booster seats and car safety. Correct answers earn a prize.

In conjunction with the classes, parents receive information about the program prior to the event and are encouraged to come to the school on the day of the class to receive a FREE booster seat for their child.

In order to receive a FREE booster seat, children must meet height and weight requirements (between 40-80 lbs And less than 4'9"). Parents who receive a booster seat are given a five-minute demonstration on the proper way to use the seat. To date, over 1,745 booster seats have been distributed.

Adds Jacob, "With motor vehicle crashes being the leading cause of death for children nationally, booster seat programs like ours can make a difference. We plan to continue the program into the next school year, and hope to reach even more children than we have over the past six months."

The booster seat program is organized by Safe Communities of DeKalb, which is a traffic safety program funded by the Governor's Office of Highway Safety and the DeKalb County Board of Health. The program is also supported by SAFE KIDS of DeKalb, which works to prevent childhood injuries.

For more information on traffic safety contact 404-294-3700.

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