ROCHESTER
— Multiple individuals and organizations, including the
Renville County Sheriff’s Office
and Renville County Public Health, were given awards at the Toward Zero Deaths Conference held Tuesday, Nov. 14.
Toward Zero Deaths is a traffic safety program in Minnesota that looks to reduce the number of crashes, injuries and deaths that occur on roadways.
Its stated mission is to “create a culture for which traffic fatalities and serious injuries are no longer acceptable through the integrated application of education, engineering, enforcement, and emergency medical and trauma services,” according to its
website.
The Renville County Sheriff’s Office and Renville County Public Health were among the award recipients honored at the annual TZD conference in front of more than 800 traffic safety professionals, attending in person and online.
The two organizations, along with the Minnesota State Patrol, received the 2023 traffic safety innovation award for creating a program addressing access (or lack thereof) to car seats in greater Minnesota.
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According to the TZD
awards page,
Sgt. Sabrina Skold and Deputy Karla Koplin, of the Renville County Sheriff’s Office, and Krista Schneider of Renville County Public Health helped create a plan to make car seats available to people in all 10 communities within the county.
The seats are stored at local police stations and fire departments. A spreadsheet tracks where car seats are located as well as their expiration dates. Installation videos are also available as a resource for parents if technicians aren’t available.
Renville County Public Health also provides a
free car seat class
for all Renville County residents.
According to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
studies have indicated children in rural areas are typically at higher risk of being killed in a crash than children in urban areas. Other studies have also indicated that children in rural areas are more likely to be incorrectly restrained than children in urban areas if a car or booster seat is in use.
