On Monday, September 24, the Tennessee Highway Safety Office (THSO) will join the Tennessee Department of Health, the Tennessee Highway Patrol, local law enforcement, local officials, and community advocates for a press event to kick off National Child Passenger Safety Week. This celebratory event will honor Dr. Robert Sanders, the Murfreesboro pediatrician known as "Dr. Seat Belt" due to his extraordinary role in the passage of Tennessee's Child Passenger Protection Act in 1977.

Dr. Sanders was instrumental in passing the Tennessee law on wearing seat belts. Because of his efforts, along with his wife, Pat, Tennessee became the first state to require child passenger seats for children. Dr. Sanders died several years ago, but his wife still lives in Rutherford County.

Tennessee was the first state to pass a child passenger safety law. Tennessee's Child Passenger Protection Act required parents to secure infants and young children in child restraint systems meeting federal safety standards. The law went into effect in 1978, sparking legislative efforts in other states across the nation. On September 24, a historical marker will be unveiled to commemorate Dr. Sanders and the implementation of this legislation 40 years ago.

Event: Monday, Sept. 24, 2018 at 1:30 PM
Location: Rutherford County Health Department at 100 W. Burton Street, Murfreesboro, TN 37219