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| NORRISTOWN, PA – The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services Office of Public Health (OPH) is participating in Child Passenger Safety Week this week from September 18-24, 2022. The week is dedicated to helping parents and caregivers make sure their children ride in the car as safely as possible. This year’s theme is “The Road to Safety” to highlight the importance of selecting a size-appropriate car seat for every child and using it correctly every time. Motor vehicle crashes remain a leading killer of children. Many parents and caregivers believe their children are in a correctly installed restraint system, but data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that nearly half (46%) of car seats are misused. A correctly selected and installed car seat or booster seat is essential when traveling on the road. Montgomery County OPH’s six certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians will host a free, in-person car seat check event on Tuesday, September 20, 2022, at Conicelli Honda, located at 1010 Ridge Pike, Conshohocken, PA 19428 from 4 to 7 p.m. A rain date is scheduled for Wednesday, September 21. Registration is required. Free monthly car seat checks have also returned to the Montgomery Hose Fire Company on West Freedley Street in Norristown on the first Wednesday of every month. Registration is required. Parents and caregivers need to make certain they and their children are properly buckled on every trip, no matter the distance. Children who are correctly buckled in a car seat, booster seat, or seat belt benefit from the single most effective way to protect passengers. According to NTHSA, car seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71% for infants and by 54% for toddlers, in passenger cars. Whenever possible, all children younger than 13 years of age should ride buckled in the back seat, as air bags are designed for adults. To ensure every child is in the right car seat that is installed and used correctly based on age, weight and height, parents and caregivers are encouraged to schedule a car seat check appointment with certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians. This free and valuable service can increase the safety of younger passengers during general travel, as well as, in the event of a crash. Parents and caregivers of children of all ages are encouraged to attend, from infant seats all the way up to booster seats. Visit the Pennsylvania Traffic Injury Prevention Project’s website for more information and to find a car seat check near you. The Montgomery County OPH offers free car seat checks both in-person and virtually to families to ensure proper installation of their child safety seats and receive valuable child passenger safety information. More information about the Montgomery County Child Passenger Safety Program, including how to schedule a car seat check, can be found here or email our office with questions. Individuals who are unable to afford a car seat can call 1-800-CAR-BELT or visit www.pakidstravelsafe.org to find the nearest car seat loan program. Child safety seat inspection stations and community car seat checkup events can also be found on the website. The Montgomery County Office of Public Health, Division of Health Promotion, will be highlighting child passenger safety best practices and Pennsylvania laws through social media posts on the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services’ Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages and on the OPH’s Facebook and Twitter pages during Child Passenger Safety Week and throughout the year. To learn more, contact Community Traffic Safety Program Manager, Elizabeth Raum at eraum@montcopa.org about community traffic safety programming at your school, business, organization, or community event. |
