DATE: October 7, 2025
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Joe Prado, Interim Director, Department of Public Health
SUBJECT: Office of Traffic Safety - Child Passenger Safety Program Agreement
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute a retroactive grant Agreement with California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), for the Child Passenger Safety Program, effective October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026, total not to exceed $187,317.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) is allocating funds to the Department of Public Health (Department) to initiate the Child Passenger Safety Program to provide access to free car seats, bilingual education, and hands-on car seat installation support in underserved urban and rural areas. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
There is no viable alternative action. Should your Board not approve the recommended action, the Department will not accept the OTS funding and will not implement services for the Child Passenger Safety Program.
RETROACTIVE AGREEMENT:
The recommended Agreement is retroactive to October 1, 2025, as it was received from the California OTS on August 27, 2025, and is being brought before your Board in accordance with the agenda item processing timelines.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. OTS is allocating $187,317 to the Department to fund strategies including education, child safety seat check-ups, community events, presentations, and training through September 30, 2026. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Department’s Org 5620 FY 2025-26 Adopted Budget and will be included in future budget requests.
DISCUSSION:
Fresno County continues to experience significant child passenger safety challenges. According to the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) and the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS), between 2021 and 2023, 39 children under the age of eight were killed and 1,274 injured in motor vehicle crashes in Fresno County. In 2022 alone, 301 non-fatal injury emergency room visits were recorded for children involved in such crashes. Further, data collected by Safe Kids Central California during local check-up events between 2022 and 2024 showed that 94 to 97 percent of car seats inspected were used or installed incorrectly, a rate considerably higher than the national average of 74-78 percent. The shortage of certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians (only 19 countywide, with just three Spanish-speaking) further limits access to proper installation guidance and culturally appropriate education for families. These findings underscore the need for targeted, evidence-based strategies to reduce preventable injuries and fatalities among children.
The Child Passenger Safety Program funded through OTS Agreement provides Fresno County with $187,317, from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026, to directly address these concerns. The Department of Public Health will carry out a comprehensive program that includes car seat check-up events, individual inspections, and community classes for parents and caregivers; certification and renewal of Child Passenger Safety Technicians; participation in traffic safety fairs and public education campaigns; and the purchase and distribution of 250 child safety seats and adaptive restraints at no cost to families. The program also includes a paid media outreach campaign designed to reach approximately one million impressions, ensuring that parents and caregivers across Fresno County receive clear, consistent messages about child passenger safety.
Approval of the recommended action will allow the Department to implement best-practice strategies identified by OTS to increase the correct use of child restraints and decrease the number of children killed or injured in traffic crashes.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Agreement with OTS
CAO ANALYST:
Ron Alexander