Albany, NY - July 5, 2016 - The New York State Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) and the New York State 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 ten counties throughout the state. As part of the Child Passenger Safety Program, state and local police agencies, along with various community safety partners, are offering free child car seat inspections by certified child passenger safety technicians. These 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.
“New York State offers this free service to better protect our children when traveling,” said Acting GTSC Chair and DMV Executive Deputy Commissioner Terri Egan. “Properly installed car seats can greatly reduce the risk of death and injury during a crash, so I encourage motorists to use this opportunity to make sure children are properly buckled into their car seats before hitting the road.”
The goal of GTSC’s campaign is to make sure all parents and caregivers are properly securing their children in the correct car safety restraint (rear-facing, forward-facing, booster seats, and seat belts) for their age and size, and to ensure the safety restraints are properly used and installed by parents and caregivers. Car crashes are a leading cause of death for children one to 13 years old, but 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 November, Governor Cuomo announced the alarming results of Child Passenger Safety Week seat check events, during which 88 percent of the 931 seats inspected were found to be improperly installed. Technicians found that only 112 had been installed correctly, which demonstrates the importance of learning how to properly install car seats and taking advantage of the state and locally sponsored safety check events. A NHTSA survey released in 2012 revealed 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 November, Governor Cuomo announced the alarming results of Child Passenger Safety Week seat check events, during which 88 percent of the 931 seats inspected were found to be improperly installed. Technicians found that only 112 had been installed correctly, which demonstrates the importance of learning how to properly install car seats and taking advantage of the state and locally sponsored safety check events. A NHTSA survey released in 2012 revealed 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.
Below is a listing of child safety seat checks, broken down by region, available across the state from today until the end of July.
Capital Region:
July 13 Child Safety Seat Check - Albany County
July 13 Child Safety Seat Check - Albany County
4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
New York State Police
760 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham, NY 12110
Agency: New York State Police
By Appointment Only
Contact: Trooper Donald Fougere at (518) 783-3258
July 25 Child Safety Seat Check - Albany County
4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
New York State Police
Troop G Headquarters, 760 Troy-Schenectady Road, Latham, NY 12110
Agency: New York State Police
By Appointment Only
Contact: Trooper Donald Fougere at (518) 783-3258
Central New York:
July 14 Child Safety Seat Check - Cortland County
3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Preble Children's Center
1953 Preble Road, Preble, NY 13141
Agency: Chenango County Health Department
Contact: ReBecca Smith at (607) 758-5509
July 30 Child Safety Seat Check - Seneca County
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Fuccillo Ford of Seneca Falls
2027 Routes 5 & 20 West, Seneca Falls, NY 13148
Agency: Cayuga/Seneca Community Action Agency, Inc.
Contact: Anne Wilkes at (315) 539-5647 ext. 123
Finger Lakes:
July 16 Child Safety Seat Check - Livingston County
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Joyful Beginnings
5580 East Avon Lima Road, Avon, NY 14414
Agency: Cornell Cooperative Extension of Livingston County, Traffic Safety Education Program
Contact: Katelyn Sanders at (585) 991-5420
Long Island:
July 19 Child Safety Seat Check - Suffolk County
5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
North Patchogue Fire Department, 33 Davidson Avenue, Patchogue, NY 11772
Agency: Town of Brookhaven Highway Department
By Appointment Only
Contact: Brookhaven Safety Town at (631) 363-3770
July 23 Child Safety Seat Check - Suffolk County
10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Amityville Police Department
23 Ireland Place, Amityville, NY 11701
Agency: EAC NETWORK & Amityville PD
Contact: Angela Brockmann at (631) 648-7100 ext. 219
Mohawk Valley:
July 13 Child Safety Seat Check - Montgomery County
4:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
New York State Police – SP Fonda
3003 State Highway 5S, Fultonville, NY 12072
Agency: New York State Police
By Appointment Only
Contact: Trooper Donald Fougere at (518) 783-3258
New York City:
July 16 Child Safety Seat Check - New York County
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
NYC DOT (Safety City)
672 West 158th Street, New York, NY 10032
Agency: New York City DOT
Contact: Marjorie Marciano at (212) 839-4750
North Country:
July 9 Child Safety Seat Check - Clinton County
10:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Beekmantown Volunteer Fire Department
Route 22, Beekmantown, NY 12992
Agency: Clinton County Sheriff's Office
Contact: William Bush at (518) 565-4397
Southern Tier:
July 23 Child Safety Seat Check - Chenango County
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Greene Craft Fair
Genesee Street, Greene, NY 13778
Agency: Chenango County Sheriff's Office
Contact: Sgt. Clifford Williams at (607) 334-2000
July 30 Child Safety Seat Check - Chenango County
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
Mount Upton
State Highway 8, Mount Upton, NY 13809
Agency: Chenango County Sheriff's Office
Contact: Sgt. Clifford Williams at (607) 334-2000
Western NY:
July 13 Child Safety Seat Check - Niagara County
4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
Wheatfield Pediatrics
2890 Niagara Falls Boulevard, North Tonawanda, NY 14120
Agency: Niagara County Sheriff
Contact: Grace Destino at (716) 438-3190
Parents and caregivers can also get proactive about checking their child’s safety seat at home. NHTSA produced a series of videos, which are available on its website, that instruct parents and caregivers how to install rear-facing car seats, forward-facing car seats, and booster seats. Additionally, Safe Kids and NHTSA recommend the following Safe Kids checklist:
- Right Seat: Check the label on the car seat to make sure it's appropriate for a child's age, weight, and height.
- Right Place: Keep all children in the back seat until they are 13 years old. Doing this, along with correctly using the appropriate child restraints, greatly reduces the risk of injury.
- Right Direction: Keep the child in a rear-facing car seat for as long as possible. When he or she outgrows the seat, move the child to a forward-facing car seat, and attach the top tether after tightening and locking the seat belt or lower anchors.
- Inch Test: Once the car seat is installed, shake it at the base. A properly installed seat will not move more than an inch.
- Pinch Test: Make sure the harness is tightly buckled and coming from the correct slots (check the manual). Now, with the chest clip placed at armpit level, pinch the strap at the child's shoulder. If unable to pinch any excess webbing, the harness is properly adjusted and the child is secure in the restraint.
To make an appointment with a child seat inspection site near you, click here. Find more information on upcoming child safety seat checks near you here. Click here for ratings on all car seats.