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Fredericksen receives award
for child passenger safety work

ITD Grants Officer Greg Fredericksen received the Child Advocate of the Year award from the Idaho Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) during the group’s annual banquet recently.

Fredericksen, who is part of the Office of Highway Safety and Operations (OHOS) staff, was selected for the award because of his dedication and service to the children of Idaho and for his work on child passenger safety.

“He was a real steward of limited federal money,” said Sherry Iverson, executive director for Idaho AAP. “He stretched those funds as far as he could.”

She cited “stellar leadership,” success at seeking new partners, and increasing the number of car seat programs at sites more convenient for families as some of the reasons why Idaho AAP selected Fredericksen for the honor.

For almost a decade, Idaho AAP has given awards recognizing service on behalf of Idaho children in three categories: Pediatrician of the Year; Organization of the Year; and Child Advocate of the Year. The Idaho chapter has more than 100 members statewide.
Previous winners of the Child Advocate of the Year award include former Idaho First Lady Patricia Kempthorne and Rep. Margaret Henbest from District 16.

Fredericksen said he was grateful for Idaho AAP’s participation in the child passenger safety campaign. New partners were vital to his effort.

“At first, I had a program with no partners,” he said. “I contacted Iverson’s group looking for a partner that could deliver child passenger safety programs statewide, and they really came through.”

By partnering with Idaho AAP, more people can be reached through the physicians and their hospital affiliations, he said.

Idaho child passenger safety programs purchase and provide child safety seats to low-income families. The programs also train volunteers throughout the state to show parents how to properly install the seats. A recent survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration revealed that nationwide four out of five car child safety seats are incorrectly installed.

As one measure of success, no unrestrained child deaths were reported in Idaho during 2005.

Fredericksen has worked for ITD for 20 years, first as a construction field inspector and then a training specialist. He moved to the OHOS as a grants officer two years ago.

Published 3-30-07