FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, July 31, 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 August
Free Inspections Available in Albany, Broome, Clinton, Erie, Monroe, Montgomery, Onondaga, and Orleans 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 August in Albany, Broome, Clinton, Erie, Monroe, Montgomery, Onondaga, and Orleans 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.
“Nothing is more important than learning to properly install your child’s car seat while travelling throughout New York State,” said Acting GTSC Chair and DMV Executive Deputy Commissioner Terri Egan. “The free child car seat inspections present a great opportunity to learn proper installation techniques and follow the safety measures to keep New York’s roadways safe.”
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 August:
August 1 Child Safety Seat Check - Orleans County
5:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Bullard Park, 499 East Avenue, Albion, NY 14411
Agency: Village of Albion Police Department
Contact: Lt. David Mogle at (585) 589-5627
August 1 Child Safety Seat Check - Onondaga County
4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Price Chopper Supermarket, 2515 Erie Blvd. East, Syracuse, NY 13224
Agency: Syracuse Police Department
Contact: Officer Mike Goudy at (315) 442-5130
August 2 Child Safety Seat Check - Albany County
3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Voorheesville Farmer's Market at the United Methodist Church of Voorheesville
68 Maple Avenue, Voorheesville, NY 12186
Agency: Albany County DPW Traffic Safety Education and Capital Region SafeKids
Contact: Bill Van Alstyne at (518) 765-2565
August 3 Child Safety Seat Check – Montgomery County
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Hagaman Volunteer Fire Department, 126 South Pawling Street, Hagaman, NY 12086
Agency: Montgomery County Public Health
Contact: Suzanne Stegich at (518) 853-3531
August 5 Child Safety Seat Check - Clinton County
10:00 a.m - 1:30 p.m.
Plattsburgh Farmer's Market, Durkee Street Parking Lot, Plattsburgh, NY 12901
Agency: Clinton County Sheriff's Office
Contact: William Bush at (518) 565-4397
August 5 Child Safety Seat Check - Erie County
2:30 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Catholic Health of Buffalo
144 Genesee Street, Buffalo, NY 14203
Agency: Catholic Health and SafeKids WNY
Registration Required
Contact: For Registration: (716) 447-6205
August 10 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
August 17 Child Safety Seat Check - Broome County
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
GHS Federal Credit Union, 910 Front Street, Binghamton, NY 13905
Agency: Broome County Health Department
Contact: Christine Muss at (607) 778-2807
August 19 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
Contact: Katelyn Sanders at (585) 991-5420
August 26 Child Safety Seat Check – Monroe County
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Delta Sonic Car Wash, 990 West Ridge Road, Rochester, NY 14615
Agency: Monroe County Office of Traffic Safety & Monroe County Sheriff's Office
Contact: Jean Triest at (585) 753-3018
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].
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