Department of Motor Vehicles

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

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 16, 2016    

NEW YORK STATE DMV AND THE GOVERNOR’S TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMITTEE ANNOUNCE FREE CHILD CAR SEAT INSPECTIONS AND ASSISTANCE THROUGH MARCH 26 

Free Inspections Available in Albany, Madison, and Westchester Counties in March

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) today announced that free child car seat inspections are available to parents and caregivers in Albany, Madison, and Westchester Counties during the month of March. As part of a year-long safety initiative, 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. An 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 listing of child safety seat checks available across the state until the end of March:

March 17                   
Child Safety Seat Check - Albany County
4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
State Police Latham, 760 Troy Schenectady Road, Latham, NY 12110
Agency: New York State Police
Appointment Required
Contact: Trooper Donald Fougere at (518) 783-3258             

March 19                   
Child Safety Seat Check - Westchester County
10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
SUNY Purchase, 735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY 10577
Agency: Westchester Safe Kids
Contact: Anthony Vacca at (914) 693-1700 ext. 104                   

March 26                   
Child Safety Seat Check - Madison County
10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Price Chopper Plaza, 142 Genesee Street, Oneida, NY 13421
Agency: New York State Police
Contact: Trooper Paul Carner at (315) 366-6035 

Parents and caregivers can also get proactive about checking their child’s safety seat at home. NHTSA produced a series of videos, which are available on its website, that instruct parents and caregivers how to install rear-facing car seats, forward-facing car seats, and booster seats. Additionally, Safe Kids and NHTSA recommend the following Safe Kids checklist:

• 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.

You can make an appointment with a child seat inspection site near you. Find more information on upcoming child safety seat checks near you.  See ratings on all car seats.

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