The New York State DMV and the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee announced free child car seat inspections and assistance through April.
Child Safety Seat Check’s will be held in two Niagara County locations:
- April 23, 2017 – 11:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. at the St. Johnsburg Fire Hall, 7165 Ward Road, North Tonawanda
- April 29, 2017 – 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. at Bergholz Fire Hall, 2470 Niagara Road, Niagara Falls
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.
The main priority for GTSC’s 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 their 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, 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 by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers in passenger cars.
For more information and a complete list of New York State locations see the NYS OCFS website.
