Helping ensure Children are Buckled Up Right, Every Trip, Every Time!Dalton, GA – The North Georgia Health District is excited to announce that health departments in Cherokee, Gilmer, Whitfield, and NOW Pickens counties have been awarded the prestigious 2024 Car Seat Mini-Grant by the Georgia Department of Public Health, Injury Prevention Program. This grant will enable the health departments to collaborate with community partners in their respective counties to provide car seats and educational resources to financially eligible families. The program is funded by the Governor's Office of Highway Safety, with the aim of safeguarding Georgia's children during motor vehicle rides.
Since 2007, the impact of this initiative has been remarkable! The education, car seats, and booster seats provided through the Mini-Grant have prevented serious injuries and fatalities, saving the lives of over 437 children involved in accidents in Georgia. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, car seats reduce fatal injuries by 71 percent among infants and 54 percent among children aged 1 to 4 years in passenger cars. Properly installed and used car seats offer the best protection for children in the event of a crash. Unfortunately, nearly three out of every four car seats are not used correctly, exposing children to unnecessary risks.
The Car Seat Mini-Grant represents a significant opportunity to protect children in these communities from serious injuries or death resulting from motor vehicle accidents.
Through this grant, the health departments and their partners will educate parents and caregivers on the proper installation and use of car seats. They will also provide car seat inspections and distribute car seats and booster seats to families who meet the financial eligibility criteria. With the support of the grant, agencies in more than 113 Georgia counties are working together with families to ensure that children are safely buckled up right, every trip, every time.
For more information about the car seat program, please contact the Cherokee County Health Department at their Woodstock Health Center at (770) 928-0133, the Gilmer County Health Department in Ellijay at (706) 635-4363, the Pickens County Health Department in Jasper at (706) 253-2821, or the Whitfield County Health Department in Dalton at (706) 279-9600. The addresses and operating hours of these health departments can be found by clicking on the name of the county HERE on our website. For information regarding other counties involved in the program, please email the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Child Occupant Safety Project at