LT. GOVERNOR DONOHUE ANNOUNCES DISTRIBUTION 3,100 Seats Are Being Distributed to Eligible Parents Statewide Press Release from NYS Department of Motor Vehicles Lt. Governor Mary 0. Donohue today announced that 3,100 child safety seats will be distributed to eligible low-income families in New York through a $ 100,000 grant from Governor Pataki's Traffic Safety Committee (GTSC).
Federal studies show that most of the 2,000 children killed each year in car crashes would be alive today if they had been buckled up properly. Motor Vehicle Commissioner Richard E. Jackson noted that more than 80 percent of child safety seats are used improperly, despite the fact that most parents try to install them properly.State Health Commissioner Antonia C. Novello, M.D., M.P.H. said, "Today we celebrate another significant program that will provide not only families with child safety seats but with expert presentations as well on how parents need to properly secure their child's passenger seat in order to keep children safe and sound. I applaud Governor Pataki, Lt. Governor Donohue and Commissioner Jackson for promoting safety and for the distribution of 3,1 00 child safety seats that will allow the children to enjoy a safe trip while providing parents with peace of mind. I congratulate all of them in emphasizing how important it is to bring necessary awareness to this issue of child safety in cars, and I thank then as well for the importance of doing so." Superintendent of State Police James McMahon said, "The Governor's Traffic Safety Committee's initiative to distribute child safety seats to low income families will contribute greatly to New York State's comprehensive effort to improve highway safety and prevent needless deaths and injuries. This initiative complements our Buckle Up New York program and helps ensure that all New York State's children remain safe." Today's ceremonies at the Latham Fire Station included a demonstration of a typical child safety seat evaluation, featuring three-year-old triplets Alison, Emily and Hannah Smith from Clifton Park. "I want to thank Governor Pataki and Lt. Governor Donohue for helping make this program possible and for helping create local fitting stations to help give parents better education on how to properly install car seats," said Amy Smith, the mother of the triplets. GTSC funding helps support county programs to distribute safety seats to eligible low-income families. Funds are also provided to the state Health Department to help establish or revitalize safety seat distribution programs across the state. These programs are usually located within a county health department or a non-profit community service program. Many county health department distributions are conducted in conjunction with Women, Infant and Children (WIC) programs. The distribution programs offer qualifying families infant seats, booster seats or convertible safety seats that can be used for either infants or toddlers. Lt. Governor Donohue noted that New York is one of the first states to establish permanent safety seat fitting stations. Albany and Schenectady counties are among eight counties in New York that have established these stations, that provide free child safety seat checks and offer instructions on how to properly install child seats. The other counties that have these stations include: Clinton, Monroe, Nassau, Suffolk, Ulster and Westchester. Commissioner Jackson said GTSC will help support implementing these stations in an effort to have every county in the state participating by the end of 2000. The Latham Fire Station and the Rotterdam Police Traffic Safety Building are the two local stations. During the past two years, more than 1,500 child safety seats have been checked in the Capital Region. "Despite the frequent car seat checks, we have been inundated with requests from concerned parents," said Ann Burton, co-chair of Capital Region SAFE KIDS. "We hope the fitting stations will help us meet the growing consumer demand for service." New York State law requires all motor vehicle passengers under four years old to ride in a federally certified child safety seat. Child passengers under 10 must be protected by approved car seats or seat belts. For increased protection, children age 12 or younger should ride in the back seat of a motor vehicle whenever possible. State law also requires all front seat passengers, regardless of age, to use appropriate passenger restraints. To locate a fitting station or to find out more about child passenger safety, visit the Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee’s web site at SAFENY.COM ## |
