Illinois Department of Transportation Summer 2009 Traffic ... - Caution

OCCUPANT PROTECTIONMeeting Chad...and development of the CHAD sticker. Afteran interview with a local TV station, Chadautographed stickers for the attendingtechnicians.In the world of Child Passenger Safety (CPS),Chad Bodine is a rock star! In 1992 at 13 monthsof age, Chad was involved in a serious automobilecrash that resulted in the death of his babysitterand left him injured. With no identification, Chadwas left helpless in the hospital emergency room.Luckily an emergency room nurse, who knew thefamily, recognized him and located his parents.As a result of this meeting, Chad and his parentswere invited to participate in the recent pressevent kicking off the statewide Staying AliveTraffic Safety Conference. Appropriately, thepress event was held in conjunction with a citywideCPS check and technicians from across thestate got to meet him. While uncomfortable withall this attention, Chad left these events with theknowledge of the importance of this tiny sticker,started years ago. Other states have copied ouridea and the CHAD sticker has proven to be aneffective means of identifying children.By John Werthwein, PROM CoordinatorOut of this horrific incident, the CHAD sticker wasborn. As CPS technicians, we distribute thousandsof these stickers each year, but have we taken thetime to read the story on the back of the sticker?CHAD stands for “Children Have An Identity.”Thanks to the efforts of Chad’s parents, thislifesaving program was started to assist police andemergency response staff in identifying children inemergencies.At a recent Operation Teen Safe Driving eventat the New Berlin High School, CPS technicianshad the opportunity to meet Chad, his parentsand view albums which depicted the creationCAUTION!-Summer 2009 17