Safety Information

Safe Kids Fact Sheets - Updated 12/13/11

Bicycle, Skates and Skateboard Safety

Burn and Scalds Safety

Carbon Monoxide Safety

Drowning and Water-Related Safety

Falls Prevention

Fire Safety

In and Around Vehicle Safety

Motor Vehicle Safety

Pedestrian Safety

Playground Safety

Poison Safety

Sports and Recreation Safety

Suffocation and Choking Safety

Toy Safety

Trends in Unintentional Childhood Injury-Related Deaths

Unintentional Injury Risk for Children

Georgia Child Safety Laws

• Child Safety Seat Law - All children under 8 years of age are required to ride in an appropriate child safety seat in the back seat.  (Safe Kids also recommends that children remain in a booster seat until at least 4 feet-9 inches tall).             40-8-76.1 (b) (1)
   
• Primary Safety Belt Law -  All children from 6-18 years of age who ride in a car, van or truck must wear a safety belt.  Only one person per belt.  (Safe Kids also recommends that children 13 and under ride in the back seat).                           40-8-76.1 (e) (3)
   
• Bike Helmet Law - All children under 16 years of age must wear an approved bicycle helmet while riding on public roads, sidewalks and bike paths.              50-6-296 (e) (1)
   
• Life Jacket Law - All children under 10 years of age on a moving vessel must wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved and appropriately sized personal flotation device (PFD).  The law does not apply when a child is within a fully enclosed roofed cabin or other fully enclosed roofed compartment or structure of the vessel.  (Floaties and toy-type rings are NOT approved flotation devices).         52-7-8 (d) (3)

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The Importance of Having a Good Photo of Your Child

One of the most important tools for law enforcement to use in the case of a missing child is an up-to-date, good-quality photograph. Noted below are some tips for parents and guardians regarding such a photograph.

• The photograph should be a recent, head-and-shoulders color photograph of the child in which the face is clearly seen. It should be of "school-portrait" quality, and the background should be plain or solid so it does not distract from the subject.
  
   
• When possible the photograph should be in a digitized form, and available on a compact disk (CD), as opposed to just a hard copy. This minimizes the time necessary to scan, resize, and make color corrects before disseminating it to law enforcement.
  
   
• The photograph should be an accurate depiction of the child, not overly posed or "glamorized." Nor should other people, animals, or objects be in the photograph. The photograph should not be taken outside, out of focus, torn, damaged, or very small.
  
   
• The photograph should have space for accurate, narrative description useful to identify the child such as name, nickname, height, weight, sex, age, eye color, identifying marks, glasses, and braces.
  
   
• The photograph should be updated at least every six months for children 6 years of age or younger and then once a year, or when a child's appearance changes.
  
   
• All copies of child's photograph and information should be maintained in an easily accessible, secure space by the parents or guardian. The photograph and data should not be stored in a public database.

Source: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, www.missingkids.com.