The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee today announced that free child car seat inspections and assistance are available to parents and caregivers weekly across New York.  As part of this year-long safety initiative, state and local police agencies and various community safety partners will be offering free child car seat inspections by certified child passenger safety technicians, along with help finding the right car seat for their child's age and size.

“New York State offers this free service as part of a year-round public awareness and safety initiative to better protect our children when traveling,” said Terri Egan, Executive Deputy Commissioner for the Department of Motor Vehicles.  “Properly installed car seats can greatly reduce the risk of death and injury during a crash, so I encourage motorists to use this opportunity to make sure children are properly buckled into their car seats before hitting the road.”

The goal of the campaign is to make sure all parents and caregivers are properly securing their children (birth-12 years) in the right car restraint (rear-facing, forward-facing, booster seats and seat belts) for their age and size and to ensure the safety restraints are properly used and installed by parents and caregivers.

Car crashes are a leading cause of death for children 1 to 13 years old. However, properly installed car seats can greatly reduce the risk of death or injury during a crash. Research has shown that child safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers in passenger cars.

“Our children are our most precious cargo, and protecting them is one of the most important highway safety endeavors we undertake,” said Chuck DeWeese, Assistant Commissioner of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee. “Learning how to properly install and use child safety equipment only takes a few minutes, but could prevent a lifetime of loss.”

Below is a listing of child safety seat checks available across the state between July 22 and July 30:

July 22                 Child Safety Seat Check - Essex County

1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Elizabethtown/Lewis Central School, Court Street, Elizabethtown, NY 12932

Agency: Essex County Sheriff's Department

Contact: Deputy Shawn Lydamore at (518) 873-6974

July 24                 Child Safety Seat Check - St. Lawrence County

12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Canton Fire Station, 77 Riverside Drive, Canton, NY 13617

Agency: St. Lawrence County Traffic Safety Program

Contact: Mary Davison at (315) 379-2306

July 24                 Child Safety Seat Check - Saratoga County

10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Wilton Fire Department, Station 2, 4233 State Rte. 50, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

Appointment Required

Agency: New York State Police

Contact: Trooper Donald Fougere at (518) 783-3258

July 25                 Child Safety Seat Check - Niagara County

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Wheatfield Town Hall, 2800 Church Road, North Tonawanda, NY 14120

Agency: Office of Traffic Safety – Niagara County Sheriff's Office

Sponsors: Niagara County Legislator Kathryn Lance, Niagara County Sheriff's Office

Contact: Grace E. Destino at (716) 438-3190

July 30                 Child Safety Seat Check - Albany County

4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

New York State Police, 760 Troy Schenectady Road, Latham, NY 12110

Appointment Required

Agency: New York State Police

Contact: Trooper Donald Fougere at (518) 783-3258

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has the following recommendations for purchasing and using child safety seats:

• Select a car seat based on your child’s age and size, and choose a seat that fits in your vehicle and use it every time.
• Always refer to your specific car seat manufacturer’s instructions; read the vehicle owner’s manual on how to install the car seat using the seat belt or LATCH system; and check height and weight limits.
• To maximize safety, keep your child in the car seat for as long as possible, as long as the child fits within the manufacturer’s height and weight requirements.
• Keep your child in the back seat at least through age 12.

A recent survey by NHTSA found that the following are the five most significant and commonly observed mistakes made by parents and caregivers when using and installing car seats and booster seats:

• Wrong harness slot used -- The harness straps used to hold the child in the car seat were positioned either too low or too high;
• Harness chest clip positioned over the abdomen rather than the chest or not used at all;
• Loose car seat installation -- The restraint system moved more than two inches side-to-side or front-to-back; anything more than one inch is too much.
• Loose harness - More than two inches of total slack between the child and the harness strap; there should be no slack.
• Seat belt placement was wrong – Lap belt resting over the stomach and/or shoulder belt on the child's neck or face.

The survey also revealed that 20 percent of all drivers of child passengers did not read any instructions on how to properly install their child restraints, yet 90 percent felt “confident” or “very confident” that their car seats and booster seats were installed correctly.

To make an appointment with a child seat inspection site near you, click on the link below:

http://www.safeny.ny.gov/seat-per.htm

Find more information on a car seat check near you at:
http://www.safeny.ny.gov/seat-cal.htm