FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, July 6, 2017
Contact:
Tiffany Portzer
[email protected] [1]
New York State DMV and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee Announce Free Child Car Seat Inspections and Assistance through July
Free Inspections Available in Albany, Clinton, Herkimer, Niagara, Rensselaer, Suffolk, Tioga, and Wyoming Counties
The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) [2] and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) [3] today announced that free child car seat inspections are available to parents and caregivers during the month of July in Albany, Clinton, Herkimer, Niagara, Rensselaer, Suffolk, Tioga, and Wyoming Counties. As part of a year-long safety initiative, state and local law enforcement agencies, along with various community safety partners, are offering free child car seat inspections by certified child passenger safety technicians.
“The free inspections are a great way to ensure your child’s safety as you travel throughout New York State,” said Acting GTSC Chair and DMV Executive Deputy Commissioner Terri Egan. “By learning to properly install your child’s car seat, you take the first step to being safe on New York’s roadways while enjoying all that New York has to offer this summer.”
Trained 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. According to Traffic Safety Marketing (TSM), [4] car crashes are a leading cause of death for children 1 to 13 years old. Many deaths and injuries can be prevented by proper use of car seats, boosters, and seat belts. Providing safety information and car seat instructions to parents and caregivers is crucial to saving young lives.
The main priority for this campaign is to make sure all parents and caregivers are properly trained to secure their children in a car safety restraint (rear-facing, forward-facing, booster seats, and seat belts) appropriate for the child’s age and size, and to ensure the safety restraints are properly used and installed by parents and caregivers.
In 2012, a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) survey found that 20 percent of all drivers of child passengers did not read any instructions on how to properly install their child restraints [5], yet 90 percent felt “confident” or “very confident” that their car seats and booster seats were installed correctly. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), child safety seats reduce the risk of fatal injury [6] by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers in passenger cars.
Below is a listing of child safety seat checks [7] available across the state for July:
July 7 Child Safety Seat Check – Suffolk County
11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Middle Country Public Library, 101 Eastwood Blvd, Centereach, NY 11720
Agency: EAC, Inc.
Contact: Angela Brockmann at (631) 648-7100 ext. 219
July 11 Child Safety Seat Check – Albany County
4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
New York State Police - Latham, 760 Troy Schenectady Road, Latham, NY 12110
By appointment only
Agency: New York State Police
Contact: Trooper Donald Fougere at (518) 783-3258
July 12 Child Safety Seat Check – Niagara County
3:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Mt. St. Mary's Hospital
5300 Military Road, Lewiston, NY 14092
Agency: Catholic Health and SafeKids WNY
Registration Required
Contact: For Registration: (716) 447-6205
July 15 Child Safety Check – Wyoming County
9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
State Police Warsaw, 5297 Old State Road, Warsaw, NY 14569
Agency: New York State Police
Contact: Trooper Eric S. Lunser at (585) 786-5152
July 15 Child Safety Check – Clinton County
10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Beekmantown Fire Department, 6973 Route 22, West Chazy, NY 12992
Agency: Clinton County Sheriff's Office
Contact: William Bush at (518) 565-4397
July 16 Child Safety Check – Herkimer County
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Ilion Slocum Dickson Medical Center Facility (Northern most parking lot, in front of the building)
Southeast corner of West Street and West Main Street, Ilion, NY 13357
Agency: Village of Ilion Police Department
Contact: Captain Laurie Ann DeVaul at (315) 894-9911
July 19 Child Safety Check – Suffolk County
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Target East Side Parking lot, 98 Veterans Highway, Commack, NY 11725
Agency: EAC, Inc.
Contact: Angela Brockmann at (631) 648-7100 ext. 219
July 28 Child Safety Check – Tioga County
7:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.
Tots' Learning Center, 12 Sawyer Place, Waverly, NY 14892
Agency: Tioga County Public Health
Contact: Kylie Gates at (607) 687-8612
July 29 Child Safety Check – Rensselaer County
10:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Center Brunswick Fire Station, 1045 Hoosick Road, Troy, NY 12180
Agency: New York State Police
Contact: Trooper Donald Fougere at (518) 783-3258 or Eric Dahl at (518) 266-1970
In addition to car seat inspections, parents and caregivers can view a series of videos [8] produced by NHSTA. The videos, which are available on NHTSA’s website, instruct parents and caregivers how to install rear-facing car seats, forward-facing car seats, and booster seats.
If you cannot attend one of the listed free child car seat inspections, you can make a free appointment at a child seat inspection site near you [9]. Find more information on upcoming child safety seat checks near you [7]. See ratings on all car seats [10].
For more information about DMV, visit dmv.ny.gov [2], or follow the DMV conversation online at Facebook [11] and Twitter [12].
###