Enhancing Child Passenger Safety in Underserved Communities Act

Enhancing Child Passenger Safety in Underserved Communities Act

This bill incorporates efforts to improve child safety into federally supported transportation programs.

Specifically, the bill includes promoting the proper use of child safety seats and increasing public awareness of pediatric vehicular heatstroke within the scope of state highway safety programs.

In addition, the bill expands the permitted uses of occupant protection grants. (These grants support activities to reduce highway deaths and injuries resulting from unrestrained or improperly restrained individuals riding in motor vehicles.) Currently, states may use the grants to purchase and distribute child safety seats to low-income families. Under this bill, states may also use their grants to hire and train certified child passenger safety technicians and educate parents and caregivers about the proper use of child safety seats. Further, the bill requires certain states to expend a portion of their occupant protection grant funds on projects or activities related to child safety seats.