GREENPORT– Columbia County Sheriff David Harrison, Jr. urges parents and caregivers to make sure their child safety seats are properly installed on Saturday, September 22 during a Child Passenger Safety Seat check from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Greenport School, Route 66. The Sheriff’s Office, along with other members of the Columbia County Child Passenger Safety Coalition and the state Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee conduct the free event.
U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration research reveals that 8,959 lives were saved from 1975 to 2008 by proper use of child restraints. In 2008, among children under age 5 in passenger vehicles, an estimated 244 lives were saved by child restraint use (child safety seats and adult seat belts). Research shows that child restraints provide the best protection for all children up to age 8, according to a press release from the sheriff.
Some of the most common child safety seat installation mistakes include:
•Not using the right child safety seats for a child’s size and age.
•Not placing the child safety seat in the correct direction.
•Incorrect installation of the child safety seat in relation to the vehicle’s air bags.
•Incorrect installation and tightness of the child safety seat to the vehicle seat.
•Not securing or tightening the child safety seat’s harness and crotch straps.
•Improper use of locking clips for certain vehicle safety belts.
•Not making sure the vehicle’s seat belts fit properly across the child when using a booster seat.
•Using a defective or broken child safety seat.
Child safety seat technicians at Saturday’s event will ensure that seats in use are in good condition and properly installed. And new child seats will be given out to low-income families while supplies last.
The Sheriff’s Office also routinely does child seat checks by appointment so those who can’t make it Saturday should call 518 828-0601 to make an appointment.
