September 14th, 2023
Spanish Language Version (PDF)
Monroe County Executive Adam Bello today announced two events for Child Passenger Safety Week, which runs this year from September 17-23. The annual safety week always ends with National Seat Check Saturday, a day for parents and caregivers to receive free instructions on how to correctly install and use the right car seats for their kids.
“The health and safety of our neighbors, particularly our children is my top priority,” said County Executive Bello. “These events will give parents some expert guidance to help reassure them that their children are as safe as possible in their car seats every time they leave home.”
Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians will be offering free car seat safety checks and education to parents and caregivers at two locations over the next two weekends.
-
Saturday, Sep. 16 from 10 am to 1 pm at Dick’s Sporting Goods at Marketplace Mall, 305 Miracle Mile Drive
- Saturday Sep. 23 from 10 am to 2 pm at Delta Sonic’s Greece location, 990 West Ridge Road
Technicians will let parents know if their children are in the right seats for their ages and sizes, make sure the car seats are installed correctly and explain the importance of registering car seats with the manufacturer so they can be notified if there is a recall.
Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children, and the latest research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that 46% of car seats are misused. Common issues are children being in the wrong type of car seat for their age and size, and car seats being installed improperly — both of which leave children vulnerable to injury in a crash.
Using age- and size-appropriate car seats and installing them correctly are the best ways to reduce crash injuries and fatalities among children.
New York State law requires that:
-
all children must ride in a rear-facing car seat until their 2nd birthday
- all children must use an appropriate car seat or booster seat until their 8th birthday
Best practice is for every child to use a car seat until they reach the maximum limits for height or weight allowed by the car seat’s manufacturer. Children should use booster seats until they fit properly in the adult seat belt. For some kids, that is not until age 12.
According to NHTSA, more than a third of children 12 and younger who died in crashes in 2021 in cars, pickups, vans, and SUVs were unbuckled.
