Department of Motor Vehicles

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, September 16, 2016

Contacts:
Joe Morrissey             [email protected]       
Casey McNulty           [email protected]

NEW YORK STATE REMINDS PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS OF CHILD PASSENGER SAFETY WEEK 
Dozens of Child Seat Checks Scheduled Statewide from September 18 to 24 for Week-Long Observance

The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC) today reminded parents and caregivers of National Child Passenger Safety Week (September 18 to 24), when traffic safety partners, law enforcement agencies, and communities across the country raise awareness of the importance of buckling children up correctly. An increased number of free seat checks are being offered statewide throughout the week and on National Seat Check Saturday (September 24), giving New Yorkers more opportunities to ensure their children are safely buckled in and using the correct car seat. The GTSC website provides a list of seat checks available across the state during Child Passenger Safety Week and National Seat Check Saturday.

“Child safety seats can significantly reduce the risk of death or injury in a crash, but they must be used properly to be effective," said DMV Executive Deputy Commissioner Terri Egan. "We urge parents and caregivers to always ensure their children are riding in the right seats for their age and size and that the seats are correctly installed in their vehicles. We also encourage parents and caregivers to take advantage of the free car-seat checks and other resources that are available this week and year-round."

The GTSC supports child-seat checks as part of the Child Passenger Safety Program, helping state and local police agencies and community safety partners offer free child car seat inspections by certified child passenger safety technicians. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) cites car crashes as a leading cause of death for children under 13 years old nationwide. According to NHTSA, child safety seats can reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers in passenger cars.

During last year’s Child Passenger Safety Week seat check events, 88 percent of the 931 seats inspected were found to be improperly installed and only 112 had been installed correctly. A 2012 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, yet 90 percent felt “confident” or “very confident” that their car seats and booster seats were installed correctly.

In April 1982, New York State's first child passenger restraint law went into effect, and in 1985, the state's mandatory seat belt law was enacted.  The seat belt law includes mandatory use of a federally-approved child safety seat for children under four years of age. Since then, New York State has made great strides in increasing seat belt use. GTSC recently announced that 92 percent of New Yorkers continue to buckle up and regularly use seat belts, which matches the previous all-time high set in New York State in 2015. It is the seventh consecutive year that seat belt use in the Empire State has stayed at or above 90 percent.

Under New York State Vehicle & Traffic Law, all children must be restrained in an appropriate child restraint system while riding in a motor vehicle, until they reach their eighth birthday. An appropriate child restraint system is one that meets the child's size and weight recommended by the manufacturer. Vehicle safety belts are not designed for children under four feet, nine inches tall, and do not protect young children.

Parents and caregivers should also check to make sure their child’s safety seat is installed properly before each ride and that their children properly buckled up for every ride. The New York State Department of Health (DOH) has developed child passenger safety tip cards to help keep children safe in motor vehicles: “4 Steps 4 Kids,” which provides information about the right type of restraint for a child’s age and size, and “Under 13? Backseat and Buckle Up!” aimed at keeping kids ages 8 to 12 safe in cars. Additionally, NHTSA provides a series of videos that instruct parents and caregivers how to install child safety seats.

The GTSC’s website allows visitors to find locations of child seat inspectors and find more information on upcoming child safety seat checks. More information about car seat ratings can be found on the NHTSA website.

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