FACT SHEET

The Role of the CPS Technician

About 2,000 children 15 years and under are killed, while 325,000 are injured in auto crashes each year, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Child passenger safety (CPS) technicians play a critical role in addressing this issue. Their technical skills, experience, and knowledge on the proper installation and use of child safety seats are necessary for the conduct of child safety seat inspections at permanent sites, special clinics, and mobile inspection units. The requirement for re-certification ensures that they are kept apprised of the technological changes and Federal regulations that affect the correct installation of child safety seats.

Spanish bilingual technicians are in high demand. MANA technicians will play a critical role in transferring CPS knowledge to the Latino community.

Intended Audience: Individuals who want to become certified CPS technicians and instructors in order to educate and assist the public on the proper use and installation of child passenger safety seats

Program Focus: This program provides the basic technical skills, experience, and knowledge of the proper use and installation of child passenger safety seats that are required to conduct child safety seat inspections. To keep apprised of the technological changes and Federal regulations that affect the correct installation of child safety seats, technicians and instructors must be re-certified every two years.

Program Length: The national child passenger safety training program is approximately 32 hours long. It can be conducted in a variety of formats, such as, four days in a row and two times a week. Candidates will also be required to participate in an inspection event, as established by the course instructor.

Content: Upon successfully completing the training program, CPS technicians have the knowledge and skills to:

• Secure children in appropriate child restraint systems
• Install child restraint systems in multiple types of vehicles
• Educate others on how to correctly install child restraint systems in their vehicles
• Educate others about how to properly restrain children in motor vehicles
• Organize, coordinate, or assist at inspection stations and checkup events
• Use appropriate resources to retrieve information related to CPS
• Respond appropriately to legal and ethical issues related to the role of the CPS technician
• Obtain information from CPS resources in response to requests for information that is not readily available

Participants should be prepared for the physical activity required for installing child safety seats. Written and hands-on testing is required in order to receive certification. (Participants must attend the entire course to be eligible for certification.)

Instinct to Protect & Desire to do Good—

Purpose:

State Farm and MANA have partnered to address the need for bilingual certified passenger safety technicians. Increasing the number of bilingual Spanish technicians ultimately will increase Latino community knowledge regarding child passenger safety (CPS).

Expectations:

• Successful completion of the NHTSA child passenger safety technician training by one MANA Chapter members within one year, in time of local MANA Health Fairs—countrywide media launch.
• Participation by MANA certified technician in at least 2 child passenger safety events (2005 State Farm Child Safety Day - visit statefarm.com® for more information, MANA Health Fairs and other community outreach events).
• Technicians that complete the program must agree to meet re-certification requirements for at least one additional term (certification is good for 2 years).
• Provide recommendations on how to enhance this program.

Intervention Strategies:

• A grant will be provided to a chapter of approximately $1,000 based upon their completion of the attached application.
• In addition to the grant paying for technician training, the grant should include the distribution of child safety seats (CSS) and belt-positioning booster (BPB) seats.

Reporting:

• Semi-annual report from MANA Chapter sites to the National Office on the status of the MANA certified technician program at each chapter location. This report should include the following: events where technicians participated, number of seats distributed, number of seats inspected, status of trained technicians, share presentations made to community groups, recruitment of additional technicians and any anecdotal information. MANA National will compile these reports for submission to State Farm.

Safe Neighbors (safety):

State Farm values the importance of keeping our neighbors safe. Their funding is directed to:

• Improving driver, vehicle, and roadway safety
• Shielding homes from fires, criminals, and natural disasters
• Supporting disaster preparedness and recovery services
• Enhancing personal financial security