Wyandanch, NY – Suffolk County Legislature Minority Leader Jason Richberg recently teamed up with the Amityville Police Department and the Suffolk County Police Department to conduct free child car seat safety inspections at the Amityville Fire Department. These inspections ensure children are properly and safely restrained in a vehicle and educate parents on how to correctly install and use child safety seats.
Motor vehicle crashes are one of the leading causes of death of children in this country. According to the latest research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately three out of four car and booster seats are misused in a way that could reduce their effectiveness. Proper car seat use reduces the risk of death by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers.
“The importance of making sure that our children are as safe as they can be while traveling in vehicles cannot be overstated,” said Minority Leader Richberg. “The officers who participated today did a tremendous job of raising awareness of the steps all parents can take to make sure they are transporting their little ones safely. The residents who came down left the event with confidence that their car seats were secure. Thank you to the Amityville Police Department and Suffolk County Police Department for making this event possible.”
The inspections are part of the New York State Traffic Safety Committee’s “Safe New York” initiative. Car seat inspections take less than 10 minutes and include a safety check of the car seat as well as verification that it is properly installed and appropriate for the intended child passenger. A car seat that is found to be defective or inappropriate can be exchanged for a new seat, free of charge.