Injury prevention and control

What is injury prevention?

The leading causes of death for Americans between the ages of 1 and 45 are injuries and violence. Prevention and safety promotion is made of many disciplines and interest areas:

Opioid and overdose (poison/medication)
Suicide
Violence (youth violence, sexual violence, intimate partner violence, and firearm violence)
Concussion (traumatic brain injury)
Motor Vehicle Crash/Pedestrian safety (car seats)
Older Adult falls
ACES and other emerging areas
General safety (drowning, burns, toy safety, sleep safety etc.)

Injury prevention topics and resources

Marijuana

https://www.mccmh.net/

https://turningpointmacomb.org/

https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/resources/index.html

Car seats and boosters provide protection for infants and children in a crash, yet car crashes are a leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 13. (NHTSA 2023) That's why it's so important to choose and use the right car seat correctly every time your child is in the car. Most of the injuries could be prevented by using age and size appropriate car seats. Using age and size appropriate car seat use reduces the risk for injury in a crash by 71–82% for children, when compared with seat belt use alone. When a child grows out of a traditional "harness" car seat, using a booster seat (approximate ages 4 to 7) can reduce the risk of injury by 45% compared to using a seatbelt alone (CDC 2023)

Unfortunately, 8 out of 10 car seats are used incorrectly. Some common mistakes associated with car seat use are:

Not securing the car seat tightly to the vehicle (it should move less than one inch)
Not securing the child in the car seat correctly (harnesses should be snug to the child)
Not using a booster seat when a child out grows his/her car seat

A nationally certified child passenger safety (CPS) technician provides personalized instruction about how to properly install a car seat in a vehicle, as well as how to properly secure a child in the car seat.

Inspection station locations

Macomb County Health Department (not offering checks but can answer questions) (586) 412-6393

Shelby Township Police Department (586) 731-2121

Shelby Township Fire Department (586) 726-7295

Chesterfield Fire Department (586) 725-2233

Macomb County Sheriffs Department (586) 307-9540

New Baltimore Fire Department (586) 725-2151

Sterling Heights Police Department Direct Contact: Srg. Susalla - (586) 446-2939 Secondary: (586) 446-2673

Traffic Safety Association Of Macomb Info@trafficsafetymacomb.org

Silverspoon Home Services (248) 702-6040

Children’s Hospital of Michigan Injury Prevention: Email CHMSafety@dmc.org

Occasionally, parents can find the answers to their car seat questions in one or more of the fact sheets listed below. If you are still in need of additional information about a car seat, do not hesitate to contact our technician for questions (586) 412-6393.