CBPD release - Beginning Monday, August 18th, the Coos Bay Police Department (CBPD) and other law enforcement agencies across Oregon will begin using federally funded enforcement hours to educate the public about child seat and safety belt laws. The enhanced enforcement will continue until Sunday, August 31st.  According to 2023 crash data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System, a lack of safety belt or child restraint use was a factor in 30% or 111 of a total 365 motor vehicle occupant fatalities in Oregon. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading nationwide cause of death for children ages one through twelve years old. In 2023, 1,972 children under twelve were injured in Oregon traffic crashes, 11%  were reported not using a child restraint system. It is estimated that car seats may increase crash survival by 71% for infants under one year old and by up to 59% for toddlers aged one to four. Booster seats may reduce the chance of nonfatal injury among four- to eight year-olds by 45% compared to safety belts used alone.  In 2017, an Oregon law passed that requires children to travel in a rear-facing safety seat until they are at least two years old. A child over the age of two must continue to travel in a car seat with a harness or a booster seat until they are eight years old or 4' 9" tall and the adult belt fits properly. The 2017 law improves protection of a child's head, neck, and spine from potential crash injuries.  For more information on Oregon child safety seat requirements visit:  https://www.oregon.gov/odot/Safety/Documents/ODOT_Car_Seat_Flyer_2021-English.pdf  This enforcement is made possible by grant funds from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Oregon Department of Transportation.