New funding from the State of California’s Office of Traffic Safety will provide free car seats, safety education, and certified technician support to protect children aged 0-5 in high-risk communities.
First 5 Contra Costa has received new grant funding for nearly $140,000 to improve child passenger safety for the county’s youngest and most vulnerable residents. The funding will support the distribution of child safety seats, educational programs, and certified staff training to reduce injuries and fatalities among children aged 0-5.
Contra Costa County, home to more than 1.16 million residents, continues to face persistent transportation safety challenges. Rapid population growth, high living costs and limited housing affordability, and a large commuter population have all contributed to heavy traffic volumes across the region. As traffic increases, so do risks to young passengers. In 2023, the Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System (SWITRS) recorded 232 children under age eight injured as vehicle occupants, including four fatalities, underscoring the urgent need for improved child passenger safety.
“Every child deserves to be safe in the car,” said Dr Ruth Fernández, Executive Director at First 5 Contra Costa. “This grant strengthens our ability to reach families who face the greatest barriers, providing not only free car seats but also hands-on support and proper car-seat education.”
The program runs through September 2026 and aims to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries—especially among children under eight—by increasing proper use of child safety seats and reducing misuse. To achieve these goals, the grant will support training staff as certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians, expanding outreach at community events, and providing free child safety seats paired with education on proper use. The funding will also support one-on-one car seat checkups ensuring families receive individualized guidance on correct installation.
These efforts focus on families with children aged 0–5, particularly those living in areas with high child poverty, along major traffic corridors with elevated crash rates, and those facing linguistic or economic barriers that make it difficult to access and use safe car seats. For many years, First 5 Contra Costa has helped address child safety by purchasing and distributing car seats and offering child safety education through its five Family Resource Centers in San Pablo, Concord, Pittsburg, Antioch, and Brentwood. These centers provide ongoing support to families in high-need communities, offering resources that promote early childhood education, health and safety, and overall family well-being.
Despite these longstanding efforts, declining Proposition 10 tobacco tax revenues—the agency’s primary funding source—have significantly reduced the resources available for these critical safety efforts, even as demand for car seats and safety education continues to grow. This grant will help offset the reduction in state tobacco tax funding and ensure continued access to essential safety resources for children across the county. Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
About Office of Traffic Safety (OTS):
The Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) is California’s designated highway safety office that awards approximately 500 grants annually to state and local sub-recipients for innovative, evidence-based education and enforcement programs designed to improve the safety of everyone on California roads.