Car Seat Safety Saturday to Be Held at Brunswick Towne Center

Editor's Note: The following information is a press release from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

Certified child passenger safety technicians will be on hand from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sept. 22 at the Brunswick Towne Center to conduct free car and booster seat checks. Parents and caregivers also can learn how to choose the right car seats and how to install them properly in their vehicle.

This event is sponsored by Safe Kids Middlesex County and the Level I Trauma Center at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) in partnership with PRAB, Inc. and the New Brunswick Police Department (NBPD) to raise awareness of the importance of occupant protection for the entire family during Child Passenger Safety Week.

Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Week is an annual campaign to bring public attention to the importance of properly securing children in appropriate car seats, booster seats or seat belts. This year, CPS begins Sept. 17 and ends on Sept. 22 with National Seat Check Saturday, when certified child passenger safety technicians will provide advice and hands-on car seat inspections nationwide.

At the Brunswick Towne Center, which is located on Jersey Avenue at Handy Street, certified child passenger safety technicians will assess the vehicle’s safety features, determine the best seating position for each passenger and look at each child inside of the vehicle to determine the best fit for the car or booster seat. This also is an opportunity for caregivers to practice installing their child passenger safety seat(s) and to ask questions. Assessments will take approximately 20 to 30 minutes per child.

“You never can predict or control what other drivers might do or how the weather might change roadway safety,” says Diana Starace, coordinator, Injury Prevention Program, Safe Kids Middlesex County and the Level I Trauma Center at RWJUH. “The best way to protect your kids is to put them in the right car seats for their age and size and use those seats correctly on every trip. By attending the Brunswick Towne Center car seat event on National Seat Check Saturday, parents and caregivers can be sure their kids are riding as safely as possible.”

According to 2010 crash data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly two children ages 12 and younger were killed and 325 were injured every day while riding in passenger vehicles, and approximately four out of 10 children killed in crashes were not secured or restrained by car seats or seat belts. During Child Passenger Safety Week, the New Brunswick Police Department will encourage local residents to take advantage of the free car and booster safety seat check on Sept. 22 to ensure that families are riding safely in their vehicles.

Here are a few tips to help keep your family safe on the road:

• Select a car seat based on your child’s age and size, choose a seat that fits in your vehicle, and use it on every trip, every time.
• Always refer to your specific car seat manufacturer’s instructions; read the vehicle owner’s manual on how to install the car seat using the seat belt or LATCH system; and check height and weight limits.
• To maximize safety, keep your child in the car seat for as long as possible, as long as the child fits within the manufacturer’s height and weight requirements.
• Keep your child in the back seat at least through age 13. Front airbags are designed to protect adult-sized bodies. A child riding in a front passenger seat when an airbag deploys could be injured in the event of a crash.

For more information about child passenger safety or to learn more about Safe Kids Middlesex County, please call (732) 418-8026 or visit www.safekids.org.