Press Release - 08-01-2016

DMV News

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, August 1, 2016

 

Contacts:
Joe Morrissey             [email protected] 
Casey McNulty           [email protected]

 

NEW YORK STATE ANNOUNCES FREE CHILD CAR SEAT INSPECTIONS AND ASSISTANCE THROUGH END OF AUGUST
Free Inspections Available to Parents and Caregivers in Ten Counties Throughout the Month

 

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the New York State Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) today announced that free child car seat inspections are available to parents and caregivers during the month of August in tencounties throughout the state. As part of the Child Passenger Safety Program, state and local police agencies, along with various community safety partners, are offering free child car seat inspections by certified child passenger safety technicians. These technicians will use the model of “Learn, Practice, and Explain” to educate each caregiver on how to select a child restraint that will fit their child, fit their vehicle and be used correctly every time.

 

“New York State offers this free service to better protect our children when traveling,” said Acting GTSC Chair and DMV Executive Deputy Commissioner Terri Egan. “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 GTSC’s campaign is to make sure all parents and caregivers are properly securing their children in the correct car safety 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 one to 13 years old, but according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), child safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers in passenger cars.

In November, Governor Cuomo announced the alarming results of Child Passenger Safety Week seat check events, during which 88 percent of the 931 seats inspected were found to be improperly installed. Technicians found that only 112 had been installed correctly, which demonstrates the importance of learning how to properly install car seats and taking advantage of the state and locally sponsored safety check events. A NHTSA survey released in 2012 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.

 

Below is a list of child safety seat checks, broken down by region, available across the state from today until the end of August.

                         

Capital Region:

August 3                    Child Safety Seat Check - Albany County
4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
New York State Police – SP Latham - Troop G Headquarters
760 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham, NY 12110
Agency: New York State Police
By Appointment Only
Contact: Trooper Donald Fougere at (518) 783-3258

 

August 3                    Child Safety Seat Check - Albany County
11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Voorheesville Farmer's Market at the United Methodist Church of Voorheesville
68 Maple Ave., Voorheesville, NY 12186
Agency: Albany County DPW Traffic Safety Education Program
(Albany County Traffic Safety Board)
Contact: Bill Van Alstyne at (518) 765-2565


Central New York:

August 13                  Child Safety Seat Check - Cortland County
11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Cortland County Office Building
60 Central Avenue, Cortland, NY 13045
Agency: Cortland County Health Department
Contact: ReBecca Smith at (607) 758-5509


Finger Lakes:

August 6                    Child Safety Seat Check - Wayne County
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Wayne County Breastfeeding Summit, Park Presbyterian Church
110 Maple Court, Newark, NY 14513
Agency: Wayne County Public Health
Contact: Lisa O'Dell at (315) 946-5749

                         

August 6                    Child Safety Seat Check - Monroe County
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Irondequoit Delta Sonic (in the Schaller's side parking lot, next to Delta Sonic)
615 East Ridge Road, Rochester, NY 14617
Agency: Monroe County Office of Traffic Safety
Contact: Jean Triest at (585) 753-3018

 

August 20                  Child Safety Seat Check - Livingston County
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Save-A-Lot, 15 East State Street, Mount Morris, NY 14510
Agency: Cornell Cooperative Extension of Livingston County,
Traffic Safety Education Program
Contact: Katelyn Sanders at (585) 991-5420


Mohawk Valley:

August 4                    Child Safety Seat Check - Montgomery County
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Hagaman Volunteer Fire Department
126 North Pawling Street, Hagaman, NY 12086
Agency: Montgomery County Public Health
Contact: Suzanne Stegich at (518) 853-3531

 

August 9                    Child Safety Seat Check - Montgomery County
4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
New York State Police – SP Fonda
3003 State Highway 5S, Fultonville, NY 12072
Agency: New York State Police
By Appointment Only
Contact: Trooper Donald Fougere at (518) 783-3258


New York City:

August 20                  Child Safety Seat Check - New York County
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
NYC DOT (Safety City)
672 West 158th Street, New York, NY 10032
Agency: New York City DOT
Contact: Marjorie Marciano at (212) 839-4750


Southern Tier:

August 12                  Child Safety Seat Check - Broome County
3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
K & N Ellis Childcare Center
27-29 Lourdes Road, Binghamton, NY 13905
Agency: Broome County Health Department
Contact: Christine Muss at (607) 778-2807


Western NY:

August 6                    Child Safety Seat Check - Erie County
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Administrative & Regional Training Center Parking Garage and
Classroom A
144 Genesee Street, Buffalo, NY 14203
Agency: Catholic Health of Buffalo - WomanCare
Registration Required
Contact: For Registration: (716) 447-6205


Parents and caregivers can also get proactive about checking their child’s safety seat at home. NHTSA produced a series of videos that instruct parents and caregivers how to install child safety seats. Additionally, Safe Kids and NHTSA recommend the following steps to properly check a car seat:

 

  • Right Seat: Check the label on the car seat to make sure it's appropriate for a child's age, weight, and height.
  • Right Place: Keep all children in the back seat until they are 13 years old. Doing this, along with correctly using the appropriate child restraints, greatly reduces the risk of injury.
  • Right Direction: Keep the child in a rear-facing car seat for as long as possible. When he or she outgrows the seat, move the child to a forward-facing car seat, and attach the top tether after tightening and locking the seat belt or lower anchors.
  • Inch Test: Once the car seat is installed, shake it at the base. A properly installed seat will not move more than an inch.
  • Pinch Test: Make sure the harness is tightly buckled and coming from the correct slots (check the manual). Now, with the chest clip placed at armpit level, pinch the strap at the child's shoulder. If unable to pinch any excess webbing, the harness is properly adjusted and the child is secure in the restraint.

 

The GTSC’s website allows visitors to find where to make appointments with child seat inspectors nearby and find more information on upcoming child safety seat checks. More information about car seat ratings can be found on the NHTSA website.

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