Press Release - 07-03-2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday July 3, 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 DURING JULY
Free Inspections Offered in Albany, Clinton, Cortland, Erie, Herkimer, Livingston, Niagara, Rensselaer, Wyoming 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 month of July in Albany, Clinton, Cortland, Erie, Herkimer, Livingston, Niagara, Rensselaer, 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.
“Proper child seat installation helps keep children safe when traveling on New York’s roadways,” said Acting GTSC Chair and DMV Executive Deputy Commissioner Terri Egan. “We are working with law enforcement and community partners to provide parents and caregivers with crucial resources they need to ensure their children are secure in the right safety seat and that they are using it effectively.”
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 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), 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 July:
CAPITAL REGION
July 14 Child Safety Seat Check - Rensselaer County
10:00 a.m - 2:00 p.m.
Center Brunswick Fire Department, 1045 Hoosick Street, Troy, NY 12180
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
July 25 Child Safety Seat Check - Albany County
4:00 p.m. - 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
CENTRAL NEW YORK
July 14 Child Safety Seat Check - Cortland County
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Homer Intermediate School, Clinton Street, Homer, NY 13077
Agency: Cortland County Health Department
Contact: ReBecca Smith at (607) 758-5509
FINGER LAKES
July 14 Child Safety Seat Check - Wyoming County
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
State Police Warsaw, 5297 Old Buffalo Road, Warsaw, NY 14569
Agency: New York State Police
Contact: Trooper Eric S. Lunser at (585) 786-5152
July 28 Child Safety Seat Check - Livingston County
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Noyes Memorial Hospital, 111 Clara Barton Street, Dansville, NY 14437
Agency: Cornell Cooperative Extension
Contact: Katelyn Sanders at (585) 991-5420
MOHAWK VALLEY
July 15 Child Safety Seat Check - Herkimer County
9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Village of Ilion Municipal Building (rear parking lot), Enter on First Street next to the Ilion Police Department, Ilion, NY 13357
Agency: Village of Ilion Police Department
Contact: Captain Laurie Ann DeVaul at (315) 894-9911
NORTH COUNTRY
July 21 Child Safety Seat Check - Clinton County
10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Beekmantown Fire Department, 6973 State Route 22, West Chazy, NY 12992
Agency: Clinton County Sheriff's Office
Contact: Anika Craig at (518) 565-4397
WESTERN NEW YORK
July 7 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
July 7 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
July 11 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
July 18 Child Safety Seat Check - Niagara County
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Maple Avenue, Maple Avenue, Newfane, NY 14108
Agency: Niagara County Sheriff's Office of Traffic Safety
Contact: Cathleen Davis at (716) 438-3464
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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