Department of Motor Vehicles

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, May 4, 2018

Contacts:
Lisa Koumjian
[email protected]

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

Free Inspections Available in Albany, Chemung, Cortland, Delaware, Erie, Livingston, Niagara, Orange, Orleans, Putnam, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Suffolk, Tioga and Westchester Counties

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 during the months of May and June in Albany, Chemung, Cortland, Delaware, Erie, Livingston, Niagara, Orange, Orleans, Putnam, Rensselaer, Schenectady, Suffolk, Tioga and Westchester 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.

“It is not enough to have the right type of safety seat for your child. To be effective, it needs to be installed properly and the way you do that will change as your child grows,” said Acting GTSC Chair and DMV Executive Deputy Commissioner Terri Egan. “We urge all parents and caregivers to take advantage of these free trainings and learn the proper techniques to ensure a safe experience on the road.  When it comes to protecting your little ones, you can never be too cautious.”

This campaign aims to ensure 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 installed. 

Trained technicians will use the model of “Learn, Practice, and Explain” to educate each caregivers 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), 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. Getting safety information and car seat instructions to parents and caregivers is crucial to saving young lives. 

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 2012, a survey by the NHTSA found 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.

The following child safety seat checks are scheduled across the state in May and June:

May 5              Child Safety Seat Check – Suffolk County
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Nokomis Elementary School, 151 Holbrook Road, Holbrook, NY 11741
Agency: Sachem Public Library
Contact: Angela Brockmann at (631) 648-7100 ext. 219

May 5              Child Safety Seat Check – Rensselaer County
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Melrose Fire Station, 784 NY-40, Melrose, NY 12121
Agency: New York State Police/Rensselaer County Law Enforcement Association
Contact: Trooper Donald Fougere at (518) 783-3258 or Eric Dahl at (518) 266-1970

May 5              Child Safety Seat Check – Niagara County
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Wilson Fire Company, 250 Young Street, Wilson, NY 14172
Agency: Niagara County
Contact: Cathleen A. Davis at (716) 438-3464

May 5              Child Safety Seat Check – Niagara County
9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Mt. St. Mary's Hospital, 5300 Military Road, Lewiston, NY 14092
Agency: Catholic Health of Buffalo
Appointment required
Contact: Health Connections at (716) 706-2112

May 5              Child Safety Seat Check – Erie County
2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Catholic Health Administration and Training Center, 144 Genesee Street, Buffalo, NY 14203
Agency: Catholic Health of Buffalo
Appointment required
Contact: Health Connections at (716) 706-2112

May 7              Child Safety Seat Check –  Albany County
3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Elm Avenue Park, 261 Elm Avenue, Delmar, NY 12054
Agency: Bethlehem Police Department / Capital Region Safe Kids
Contact: Sgt. Frank Muller at (518) 439-9973

May 9              Child Safety Seat Check –  Cortland County
9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Cincinnatus WIC Clinic, Cortland-Chenango Rural Services, Lower Cincinnatus Road, Cincinnatus, NY 13040
Agency: Cortland County Health Department
Contact: ReBecca Smith at (607) 758-5509

May 11            Child Safety Seat Check –  Chemung County
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Elmira Heights Fire Department, 215 Elmwood Avenue, Elmira, NY 14903
Contact: Christine Muss at (607) 778-2807

May 11            Child Safety Seat Check –  Niagara County
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Tuscarora Health Center, 5226 Walmore Road, Lewiston, NY 14092
Agency: Niagara County
Contact: Cathleen A. Davis at (716) 438-3464

May 12            Child Safety Seat Check –  Delaware County
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Hancock Children's Center, St. Paul's Church Parking Lot, 316 West Main Street, Hancock, NY 13783
Agency: Delaware County Public Health
Contact: Heather Warner at (607) 832-5200

May 12            Child Safety Seat Check –  Putnam County
12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Putnam Hospital Center, 670 Stoneleigh Avenue, Carmel, NY 10512
Agency: Health Quest
Contact: Peter Dandreano at (845) 475-9746

May 17            Child Safety Seat Check –  Schenectady County
1:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
South Schenectady Fire Department, 6 Old Mariaville Road, Schenectady, NY 12306
Agency: Rotterdam Police Department / Capital Region Safe Kids
Contact: Sgt. Keith Collins at [email protected] or Bill Van Alstyne at [email protected]

May 19            Child Safety Seat Check –  Westchester County
11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Eastchester Town Hall, 40 Mill Road, Eastchester, NY 10709
Agency: Tuckahoe Police Department / Eastchester Police Department
Contact: Tuckahoe Police Department at (914) 961-4800

May 19            Child Safety Seat Check –  Orange County
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Goshen Village Hall, 276 Main Street, Goshen, NY 10924
Agency: Village of Goshen Police Department
Contact: Sgt. Ryan Rich at (845) 294-7988

May 19            Child Safety Seat Check –  Orleans County
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Valu Home Center, 11270 Maple Ridge Road, Medina, NY 14103
Agency: Orleans County Sheriff's Office
Contact: Kevin Colonna at (585) 589-5527

May 19            Child Safety Seat Check –  Cortland County
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Cortland Regional Medical Center, 134 Homer Avenue, Cortland, NY 13045
Agency: Cortland County Health Department
Contact: ReBecca Smith at (607) 758-5509

May 21            Child Safety Seat Check –  Orange County
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Easter Seals Food Pantry, 88 East Main Street, Port Jervis, NY 12771
Agency: Cornerstone Family Healthcare
Contact: Lesly Retamozo at (845) 220-3197

May 24            Child Safety Seat Check –  Niagara County
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
CAO Niagara County Head Start, 85 North Adam Street, Lockport, NY 14094
Agency: CAO Niagara County Head Start
Contact: Cathleen A. Davis at (716) 438-3464

May 25            Child Safety Seat Check –  Cortland County
12:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Cortlandville Fire Department, 999 Tompkins Street, Cortland, NY 13045
Agency: Cortland County Health Department
Contact: ReBecca Smith at (607) 758-5509

May 29            Child Safety Seat Check –  Tioga County
10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Family Resource Center, 460 Broad Street, Waverly, NY 14892
Agency: Tioga County Public Health
Contact: Kylie Holochak at (607) 687-8612

June 2             Child Safety Seat Check –  Niagara County
9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Mt. St. Mary's Hospital, 5300 Military Road, Lewiston, NY 14092
Agency: Catholic Health of Buffalo
Appointment required
Contact: Health Connections at (716) 706-2112

June 2             Child Safety Seat Check –  Erie County
2:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Catholic Health Administration and Training Center, 144 Genesee Street, Buffalo, NY 14203
Agency: Catholic Health of Buffalo
Appointment required
Contact: Health Connections at (716) 706-2112

June 6             Child Safety Seat Check –  Cortland County
9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Marathon WIC Clinic, Marathon Presbyterian Church, Main Street, Marathon, NY 13803
Agency: Cortland County Health Department
Contact: ReBecca Smith at (607) 758-5509

June 7             Child Safety Seat Check –  Tioga County
3:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Visions Federal Credit Union, 95 Orchard Street, Spencer, NY 14883
Agency: Tioga County Public Health
Contact: Kylie Holochak at (607) 687-8612

June 9             Child Safety Seat Check –  Westchester County
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Mount Pleasant Town Hall, 1 Town Hall Plaza, Valhalla, NY 10595r> Agency: Mount Pleasant Police Department
Contact: Lt. Michael Pierce at (914) 769-1941

June 13           Child Safety Seat Check –  Cortland County
9:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Cincinnatus WIC Clinic, Cortland-Chenango Rural Services, Lower Cincinnatus Road, Cincinnatus, NY 13040
Agency: Cortland County Health Department
Contact: ReBecca Smith at (607) 758-5509

June 13           Child Safety Seat Check –  Niagara County
4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Niagara County Public Safety Training Facility, 5574 Niagara Street Extension, Lockport, NY 14095
Agency: Niagara County Sheriff's Office of Traffic Safety
Appointment Required
Contact: Cathleen Davis at (716) 438-3464

June 16           Child Safety Seat Check –  Livingston County
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Wentworth Motors, 139 Franklin Street, Dansville, NY 14437
Agency: Cornell Cooperative Extension
Contact: Katelyn Sanders at (585) 991-5420

June 23           Child Safety Seat Check –  Niagara County
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Cornerstone Federal Credit Union, 6485 Transit Road, Lockport, NY 14094
Agency: Niagara County Sheriff's Office, Office of Traffic Safety
Contact: Cathleen Davis at (716) 438-3464

June 28           Child Safety Seat Check –  Albany County
11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Colonie Center Parking Lot near Whole Foods, 1417 Central Avenue, Colonie, NY 12205
Agency: Albany County DPW Traffic Safety Education / Capital Region Safe Kids
Contact: Bill Van Alstyne at (518) 765-2565

If you cannot attend one of the listed free child car seat inspections, you can make a free 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.

In addition to car seat inspections, parents and caregivers can view a series of videos produced by NHSTA. The videos, which are also available on NHTSA’s website, instruct parents and caregivers how to install rear-facing car seats, forward-facing car seats, and booster seats. 

For more information about DMV, visit dmv.ny.gov, or follow the DMV conversation online at Facebook and Twitter.

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