Department of Motor Vehicles

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, July 25, 2019

Contacts:
Lisa Koumjian
[email protected]

Tim O’Brien
[email protected]

NEW YORK STATE DMV AND THE GOVERNOR’S TRAFFIC SAFETY COMMITTEE ANNOUNCE FREE CHILD SEAT INSPECTIONS AND ASSISTANCE DURING AUGUST

Free Inspections Offered in Albany, Allegany, Broome, Chenango, Erie, Jefferson, Livingston, Montgomery, Niagara, Oswego, Onondaga, Richmond, Suffolk and Ulster Counties

Free Inspections by Appointment Offered Year-Round

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) today announced that free child seat inspections are available to parents and caregivers during the month of August in Albany, Allegany, Broome, Chenango, Erie, Jefferson, Livingston, Montgomery, Niagara, Oswego, Onondaga, Richmond, Suffolk and Ulster counties. As part of a year-long safety initiative, state and local law enforcement agencies, together with various community safety partners, are offering free inspections by certified child passenger safety technicians.

DMV Commissioner and GTSC Chair Mark J.F. Schroeder said, “Car crashes are a leading cause of death among infants and young children, but proper use of car seats, boosters, and seat belts have proven to greatly reduce the risk. Our free child safety seat inspections provide a great service to parents and caregivers by teaching them how to find the right seat to fit their child and vehicle, and by demonstrating how to safely and correctly install it.”

These events aim to ensure all parents and caregivers understand how to choose an appropriate seat for the child’s age and size and how to install the seat correctly. Trained technicians will use the model of “Learn, Practice, and Explain” to educate caregivers on how to select a child restraint that will fit their child, fit their vehicle and be used correctly every time.

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 vehicles. 

The following child safety seat checks are scheduled across the state in August:

CAPITAL REGION

August 1                               Albany County
3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Watervliet Elementary School
2557 10th Avenue, Watervliet, NY 12189
Agency: Albany County DPW / Capital Region Safe Kids
Contact: Bill Van Alstyne at (518) 765-2565

August 7                               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 / Capital Region Safe Kids
Contact: Bill Van Alstyne at (518) 765-2565

CENTRAL NEW YORK

August 3                               Oswego County
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Scriba Highway Department
42 Creamery Rd, Oswego, NY 13126
Agency: Oswego County Traffic Safety Board
Contact: Kyle Boeckmann at (315) 343-2344 ext. 22

August 15                             Onondaga County
3:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Minoa Fire Department Station 2
7036 Manlius Center Rd, East Syracuse, NY 13057
Agency: Manlius Police Department
Contact: Ken Hatter at (315) 682-2212

FINGER LAKES

August 17                             Livingston County
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Save-A-Lot
15 E. State St., Mt. Morris, NY 14510
Agency: Cornell Cooperative Extension of Livingston County
Contact: Jamie Johnson at (518) 991-5420

LONG ISLAND

August 7                               Suffolk County
4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Selden Fire Department
44 Woodmere Place, Selden, NY 11784
Agency: Town of Brookhaven Highway Department, Division of Traffic Safety
By Appointment Only
Contact: Brookhaven Safety Town at (631) 363-3770

MID-HUDSON

August 10                             Ulster County
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Zena Fire Department
443 Zena Road, Woodstock 12498
Agency: Ulster County Sheriff's Office
Contact: Deputy Deb Prusack at (845) 338-3640

MOHAWK VALLEY

August 8                               Montgomery County
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Mohawk Volunteer Fire Department
2553 State Highway 30A, Fonda, NY 12068
Agency: Montgomery County Public Health / Capital Region Safe Kids
Contact: Suzanne Stegich at (518) 853-3531

NEW YORK CITY

August 9                               Richmond County
12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
The New York Foundling, 119 Tompkins Avenue, Staten Island, NY 10304
Agency: Richmond University Medical Center
Contact: Daniel Genovese-Scullin at (718) 818-2902

NORTH COUNTRY

August 1                               Jefferson County
10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Adams Volunteer Fire Department
4 North Main St., Adams, NY 13605
Agency: New York State Police
Contact: Sgt. Brent Fosco at (315) 676-2214

SOUTHERN TIER

August 13                             Broome County
4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Visions Federal Credit Union
100 Pavilion Road, Johnson City, NY 13790
Agency: Broome County Health Department
Contact: Christine Muss at (607) 778-2807

August 23                             Chenango County
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Chenango County Sheriff's Office
279 County Route 46, Norwich, NY 13815
Agency: Chenango County Sheriff's Office
Contact: Sheri Howe at (607) 337-1400

WESTERN NEW YORK

August 1                               Allegany County
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Alfred Station Seventh Day Baptist Church
587 Route 244, Alfred Station, NY 14803
Agency: Ardent Solutions
Contact: Gwen Cooper at (585) 593-5223 ext. 1017

August 3                               Niagara County
8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Mount Saint Mary's Hospital
5300 Military Road, Lewiston, NY 14092
Agency: Catholic Health of Buffalo, Safe Kids of Western New York
By Appointment Only
Contact: Health Connections at (716) 447-6205

August 3                               Erie County
3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Catholic Health Administration and Training Center
144 Genesee Street, Buffalo, NY 14203
Agency: Catholic Health of Buffalo, Safe Kids of Western New York
By Appointment Only
Contact: Health Connections at (716) 447-6205

August 5                               Allegany County
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Cuba First Baptist Church
17 South Street, Cuba, NY 14727
Agency: Ardent Solutions
Contact: Gwen Cooper at (585) 593-5223 ext. 1017

August 13                             Niagara County
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Falkner Park
340 Main St, Youngstown, NY 14174
Agency: Youngstown Recreation Summer Programs
Contact: Cathleen Davis at (716) 438-3464

August 14                             Niagara County
10:00 a.m - 2:00 p.m.
Trott Access Center - Front Lawn
1001 11th Street, Niagara Falls, NY 14301
Agency: Niagara County Department of Health Nursing Division
Contact: Cathleen Davis at (716) 438-3464

August 21                             Allegany County
10:00 a.m - 2:00 p.m.
Canaseraga Fire Department
10 Main Street, Canaseraga, NY 14822
Agency: Ardent Solutions
Contact: Gwen Cooper at (585) 593-5223 ext. 1017

August 24                             Niagara County
11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Rapids Fire Company Station 1
7195 Plank Rd, Lockport, NY 14094
Agency: Rapids Fire Company
Contact: Cathleen Davis at (716) 438-3464

August 26                             Allegany County
12:00 p.m - 4:00 p.m.
4 Chapel Street, Belfast, NY 14711
Agency: Ardent Solutions
Contact: Gwen Cooper at (585) 593-5223 ext. 1017

If you cannot attend one of the listed free child car seat check-up events, you can make an appointment with a child seat inspection site near you. The above schedule may be subject to changes. 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 on proper installation of rear-facing and forward-facing car seats and booster seats. NHTSA also offers information on registering a child safety seat and finding the right car seat based a child’s age and size.

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

For more information about GTSC, visit safeny.ny.gov, or follow the GTSC conversation at Facebook and Twitter.

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