The Florida Department of Transportation’s W.H.A.L.E. (We Have A Little Emergency) CHECK is an education and identification program for parents and caregivers who have children in car seats.
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W.H.A.L.E. We Have a Little Emergency Program Details
This program was first introduced in May of 2002 in Jacksonville, Florida by Northeast FDOT District Two’s CTSP. This is a child passenger safety education and identification program for parents and caregivers in Florida. In the event of an automobile crash, children are often too young to identify themselves or provide helpful information.
Parents and guardians are encouraged to complete the sticker and place it on the back of the child’s car seat to provide vital contact information to emergency personnel. We suggest users stick the two smaller labels on each side of the car seat. These alert rescuers that the occupant is participating in W.H.A.L.E. Check.
Our popular and nationally recognized W.H.A.L.E. Check campaign remains a highly requested and distributed piece on important child occupant protection. Almost 300,000 printed W.H.A.L.E. Checks have been distributed in Northeast Florida since being launched. Over 1,656 digital versions have been viewed or downloaded from this website. The site has received over 10,000 social media W.H.A.L.E. Check impressions just in the last several years. Watch the video below to learn more about how the program works.
The W.H.A.L.E. Check informational flyer also includes child safety seat advice and guidelines. Here are five safety tips to help prevent injuries in case of a car crash:
- WEAR YOUR SAFETY BELT: Studies show that if you wear your seat belt, your kids will too.
- Follow manufacturer’s instructions: Always check the manual for both your
car and the child safety seat for proper installation guidelines. - Seat strapped in tight: You should not be able to move the car seat more than one inch
in any direction at the belt path, and always use the top tether when forward facing. - Chest clip at armpit level & harness snug: Straps should be tight enough
so that you cannot pinch the fabric of the harness at the shoulders. - Back seat is safest: Children age 13 and under should ride in the back seat.
Older children no longer need a special seat if their legs bend comfortably at the
seat’s edge with their back resting flat against the back of the seat.
We follow these American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations and want all children safeguarded in the right car seat:
- Birth – 12 Months: Babies under age 1 should always ride in a rear-facing car seat. There are different types of rear-facing car seats: Infant-only seats can only be used rear-facing. Convertible and 3-in-1 car seats typically have higher height and weight limits for the rear-facing position, allowing you to keep your child rear-facing for a longer period of time.
- 1 – 3 Years: Toddlers should ride in a rear-facing car seat with a harness as long as possible – until they reach the top height or weight limit of the seat, typically around 35 to 45 pounds.
- 4 – 7 Years: Young children should ride in a forward-facing car seat with a harness until they reach the top height or weight limit of the seat – typically between 40 and 60 pounds.
- 8 – 12 Years: Children should ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until they are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall. Seat belts fit properly when the lap belt lies snugly across the upper thighs, not the stomach, and the shoulder belt lies snug across the shoulder and chest, not over the neck or face.