Injury Prevention Program

Note: As of July 1, 2012, the Office of Injury Prevention became the Injury Prevention Program. Documents and activities finalized prior to this date will retain "Office of Injury Prevention".

Program Overview

The Florida Special Needs Occupant Protection Program increases access to special needs child safety seats/restraints for children with special health care needs. Florida is the only state to approach transporting children with special health care needs as a statewide issue. The program has been funded through a Florida Department of Transportation grant since 2001.

The American Academy of Pediatrics defines children with special health care needs as those who have, or are at risk for, chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional conditions and who also require health and related services of a type or amount not usually required by typically developing children.

Why We Do It

• Safety — Some special needs children have serious physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional conditions that prevent them from riding safely in regular child safety seats.
• Cost — Special needs child safety seats/restraints can cost hundreds of dollars and may only be needed for a short period of time.
• Choice — Parents or caregivers of children with special health care needs often have no choice but to select a child passenger safety seat/restraint from a catalog. This does not allow the seat/restraint to be fitted to their child or their vehicle.

How We Do It

• Loaner Program — The program provides loaner special needs child safety seats/restraints and operates within eight children’s hospitals and one acute care hospital throughout the state.
• Evaluation — Children with special health care needs are referred to the program and are evaluated for special needs seats/restraints.
• CPS Training — Certified Child Passenger Safety (CPS) technicians within the Florida Special Needs Occupant Protection Program receive training specific to transporting children with special health care needs.

What We’ve Done

In the past 10 years:

• Over 1,553 children have been evaluated
• Over 2,148 seats have been loaned
• Over 104 CPS technicians have been trained in special needs transportation

Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this program by phone or in writing.

For more information, please contact the local Special Needs Coordinator in your area, the Florida Special Needs Program Manager or call (850)245-4440.

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Program Sites

The Florida Special Needs Occupant Protection Program is the only statewide special needs occupant protection program that provides loaner special needs child safety seats/restraints. The program operates within eight children’s hospitals and one acute care hospital in Gainesville, Hollywood, Miami, Ft. Myers, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Pensacola, Tampa, and Tallahassee.

Children with special health care needs are referred to program sites and are evaluated for special needs seats/restraints. The evaluation is conducted by certified certified Child Passenger Safety (CPS) technicians who have received additional training on transporting children with special health care needs.

Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead, contact this program by phone or in writing.

For more information, please contact the local Special Needs Coordinator in your area, the Florida Special Needs Program Manager or call (850)245-4440.

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