Stay safe with free child safety seat inspections from Pennsylvania State Police
With Thanksgiving just days away and winter holidays right around the corner, Pennsylvania State Police are encouraging parents to get their child safety seats checked.
PSP's Stroudsburg and Blakeslee barracks hosted events for free car seat checks by Troop N officers who are child passenger seat technicians last week, but rest assured, if you weren't able to make it, you can always swing by and get an inspection or some safety tips any time.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration note car crashes are the leading cause of death for children; 38% of children who rode unrestrained in a vehicle died in 2019; and an average of two children under the age of 13 were killed every day in 2019 while riding in cars, SUVs, pickups and vans.
While Trooper Ian Hopkins of PSP Stroudsburg noted incorrect safety seat installations are not always "catastrophic," he did recommend that parents and guardians should take a look at their setup to ensure safe travels, especially during winter months when the roads may be a bit more unpredictable.
"It could be something as simple as maybe the the seatbelt isn't isn't threaded properly, or it might be frayed, or the chest clip on a child seat, it's supposed to be at at armpit level, so that might be too high or too low. So usually, it's something small that we can fix that would result in a safer restraint system," Hopkins said.
According to Pennsylvania law, children under the age of two years should be secured in a rear-facing cat seat, at the very least until they reach the maximum weight or height allowed by that seat's manufacturer. Once children outgrow this stage, they can be placed in forward-facing car seats until they outgrow it.
Beyond that, belt-positioning booster seats with lap and shoulder belts are recommended until children reach a height of 4 feet,9 inches, usually between the ages of eight and 12. Children under the age of 13 should ride in the back seat with a seat belt properly fitted low and snug across across the hips and upper thighs, with the shoulder belt fitting across the center of the chest and shoulder.
Parents and guardians should always check their safety seat manufacturer's instructions, as well as their vehicle's instructions for safety seats, when installing a seat.
By playing it safe and properly securing children in safety seats, countless lives can be saved - again, according to to PennDOT and the NHTSA, 83% of children under of the age of four in Pennsylvania sustained no injuries during a crash as long as they were properly restrained.
PSP tends to host car seat checks quarterly, often alongside their Click It or Ticket campaigns, though Hopkins confirmed anyone can feel free to call the barracks to arrange a safety or ask questions.
"We have some flyers and material for people to come look at that might offer some information that they're not aware of, and if anyone's ever unsure we can we always make time for them. They can come in here 24/7 if they need some advice or help," Hopkins said.
For additional information on safety seats, contact Trooper Hopkins at 570-619-6480. You can also search for and compare car seats through the NHTSA's Car Seat Finder, available on their website, and find additional tips on the PA Kids Travel Safe website, where parents and guardians can also find locations offering car seat loan programs.
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: PA State Police encourages parents to check safety seats before travel
