Dawson County Emergency Services Awarded Car Seat Mini Grant
John Shaffer, Community Risk Reduction Specialist
Dawson County Government
393 Memory Lane
Dawsonville, GA 30534
706-344-3500 x44520
Jan. 15, 2025
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dawson County Emergency Services Awarded Car Seat Mini Grant
Dawson County Emergency Services was awarded the 2025 Car Seat Mini-Grant by the Georgia Department of Public Health, Injury Prevention Program. Through the Mini-Grant, Dawson County Emergency Services works to provide car seats and education to financially eligible families in Dawson County. This program is funded by the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to help ensure Georgia’s children are safe while riding in motor vehicles.
And it works! Since 2007, the education, car seats and booster seats provided through the Mini Grant prevented serious injury or death and saved over 460 of Georgia’s children who were involved in crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, car seats reduce fatal injuries by 71 percent among infants and by 54 percent among children ages 1 to 4 years in passenger cars. Car seats offer the best protection for children in the event of a crash, and they are most effective when installed and used correctly. Nearly three out of every four car seats are not used properly, placing children at unnecessary risk.
“It’s our responsibility to keep our children safe,” said John Shaffer, DCES Community Risk Reduction Specialist. “The Car Seat Mini-Grant is a great opportunity to help our community and help protect our children from serious injuries or death in motor vehicle crashes.”
In Dawson County, Dawson County Emergency Services educates parents and caregivers on how to properly install and use car seats, offers car seat inspections and provides car seats and booster seats to financially eligible families. Through the Car Seat Mini-Grant, agencies supporting more than 135 counties are working to keep Georgia’s children safe. These programs help families get their children buckled up right, every trip, every time.
For more information about the Dawson County car seat program, contact John Shaffer at 706-344-3500 extension 44520. If you would like information regarding other counties involved in the program, please contact the Georgia Department of Public Health’s Child Occupant Safety Project via email at injury@dph.ga.gov.
Dawson County was established in 1857 and is located approximately 40 miles northeast of Atlanta, along the State Route 400 corridor. The county spans from the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains down to the shores of Lake Lanier. Most of the county remains rural and agricultural, balanced with growing business off of the 400 Corridor.
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