Child Safety Seat Check at Chittenango Fire Department
To help parents and caregivers determine if their car seats are installed correctly, the Madison County Health Department, Madison County Sheriff’s Office, and New York State Police are teaming up to hold a child safety seat check. The free event will be held on Thursday, June 28 from 4:00 to 6:30 p.m. at the Chittenango Fire Department located at 417 Genesee Street in Chittenango. The rain date is July 12 at the same time.
A few quick reminders:
Children are required by New York State law to ride in an appropriate child safety seat in passenger vehicles until their eighth birthday.
It is recommended that a child ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until they can properly fit in the seat belt, which is usually 4’9” tall and 100 pounds. So even after a child turns 8 years old, it is often appropriate and safest to keep them in a belt-positioning booster seat. Some children benefit from a booster seat until they are 12 years old, depending on their size.
Kids age 12 and under should ride in the back seat. The back seat is safer than the front seat. Also, air bags in the front seat are made for adults, so if an air bag deploys when a child or tween is riding in the front seat, they can be seriously injured or worse. Use 13 as a rite of passage to ride in the front seat.
Do not use a child safety seat that you do not know the history of or a seat that is more than 6 years old.
If you are planning to attend the child safety seat check, please make sure that you have installed the car seat in your vehicle. That way, staff can check for errors and teach you how to make any corrections. While seats may be checked without the child present, bring the child with you if possible, so that staff can show you how the child should properly fit in the car seat.
No appointment is necessary.
For more information, call the Madison County Health Department at 315.366.2361.