Child Seat Safety Event Offered On East End Saturday

SOUTHAMPTON, NY — With an eye toward protecting children, a free car seat safety check will be offered this weekend in Southampton.

The event takes place Saturday, May 13, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, located at 330 Meeting House Lane. Children's infant, convertible, or booster seats will be checked for proper installation by certified technicians from the Southampton Town Police Department and Southampton Village Police Department free of charge.

Southampton Town police added that car crashes are the second-leading cause of death for children under the age of 1 and the leading cause of death for kids and young adults from ages 1 to 24, according to the National Safety Council. Children need special protection in vehicles to keep them safe in the event of a crash, police said.

Also, police said, a whopping 70 percent of child safety seats are installed incorrectly.

The NSC also said that in 2021, 711 child occupants under age 13 died in traffic crashes; 226 were unrestrained, and many others were inadequately restrained at the time of the crash. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said that car seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants younger than 1 year old, and by 54 percent for toddlers 1 to 4 years old in passenger cars, the page said.

NHTSA also provided the following tips, NSC said:

• Children under age 1 should always ride in a rear-facing car seat.
• Keep 1- to 3-year-olds in rear-facing car seats for as long as possible. Once children outgrow the height or weight limit for their rear-facing car seat, they should ride in forward-facing car seats with a harness and tether.
• NHTSA recommends children 4 to 7-years-old use forward facing car seats until they reach the top height or weight limit of the car seat’s manufacturer instructions, and then move to a booster seat.
• Keep 8- to 12-year-olds in booster seats until they are big enough to fit into seat belts properly.
• Be sure all passengers use seat belts correctly, with the lap-belt low on the hips and the shoulder belt across the chest, not resting on the neck. Never place a shoulder belt under an arm or behind your back.

For additional information on the child car seat safety event, call 631-702-2247.