The Department of Highway Safety & Motor Vehicles continues its commitment to ensuring that all children ride safely on Florida’s roadways. Since current national statistics show that 80% of all child safety seats are improperly installed, it continues to be critical that safety partners, law enforcement, and health professionals work together to help educate the public on the proper installation and use of child restraints. Recognizing the importance of this issue, our agency makes available designated personnel, including troopers and other sworn law enforcement, who are certified technicians to provide the following services: instruction to parents/caregivers on the proper installation/use of child safety seats and booster seats; educational resources and materials; and low-cost child seats and boosters for needy families. Currently, over 100 agency staff members are available statewide to provide these services to assist the public in keeping child passengers as safe as possible on Florida’s roadways.

To further encourage traffic safety and the use of child restraints for children and safety belts for all passengers, the Florida Highway Patrol maintains six troopers in six different troops who serve all the counties in the respective troops (see map). The agency’s Child Passenger Safety Program is managed by the Safety Program Coordinator, Kim Jones who manages the grants and programs that supply the additional personnel, child seats, supplies, and public education materials. Assisting Kim with this program statewide are five troopers on the Occupant Protection Team, who are all CPS certified technicians and serve as specialists for the counties in each of their troops. Troopers Reginald Edwards, Dawn Tomlinson, Wanda Diaz, Lucy Papp, and Mary Jackson comprise the Occupant Protection Team.

Each of the Occupant Protection Specialists is responsible for administering the child passenger safety/occupant protection program and Teen Driver Safety Program activities for their respective troops. Each conducts child passenger safety checks and/or classes for the general public, health care workers, private and civic groups, and agency staff upon request. In addition, these troopers coordinate and oversee traffic safety presentations designed for a variety of audiences, including teens at area high schools and adult motorists. These troopers also serve as resources for other agencies on child passenger safety issues, and work closely with their local County Tax Collectors Office to promote the $2 Difference Program, another program providing child safety seats to needy Florida families. Currently, the Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has 89 nationally certified CPS Technicians and 8 Instructors.