UGA’s Traffic Injury Prevention Institute recently earned a $948,400 grant from the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to continue its education and training programs in the use of safety belts, child safety seats and teen driving. This year, GTIPI also will explore a new program for mature drivers called CarFit.
Programs related to young children will include the 32-hour Child Passenger Safety Technician advanced class, continuing education units for technicians and specialized training for Georgia’s child-care providers. Programs offered by GTIPI related to parents and teens include, “Georgia Teens Ride with PRIDE,” which stands for Parents Reducing Incidents of Driver Error. The program includes a certification course for volunteer instructors as well as two-hour courses across the state for parents and teens to learn what is required to earn and keep a driver’s license.
“This program is the primary resource in the state for public information and professional training on the use of safety belts, child safety seats and safer teen driving,” said Don Bower, a UGA Cooperative Extension human development specialist and professor in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. Bower serves as project director for GTIPI.
