The first in a series of five sessions to help parents ensure their child’s car seat has been safely installed is planned for June 30 from noon to 4 p.m. at the East Windsor Volunteer Fire Co. No. 2, 69 Twin Rivers Drive, East Windsor.
The free program, in which a nationally certified child passenger safety seat technician will check on the proper installation of a child safety seat, is being funded by a $7,000 grant from the New Jersey Division of Highway Safety.
Four more sessions will be held – two in July, and one each in August and September. The program is being sponsored by East Windsor Township, Mayor Janice S. Mironov said. The township sponsored the same program last year.
The second and third sessions – on July 7 and July 21 – will be held at Etra Lake Park in the Disbrow Hill playing fields parking lot, from 4-9 p.m.
The July 7 session coincides with the township’s annual Independence Day celebration, and the session on July 21 coincides with the Family Night in the Park event, Mironov said.
The fourth session is set for Aug. 7 at the East Windsor PAL complex, 30 Airport Road. It will be held from 6-9 p.m. in the main parking lot. It is being held in conjunction with the township’s annual National Night Out event.
The final session is slated for Sept. 13 at the East Windsor police/municipal court building, 80 One Mile Road, Mironov said. It will be held from 3-8 p.m.
All of the sessions are free for East Windsor residents. It takes about 10 minutes for a technician to check a child safety seat.
The goal of the program is to teach parents how to properly secure their child in the child safety seat, which is required by state law. The technician will make sure the child safety seat has been properly installed.
Under state law, children who are under 4 years old and weigh less than 40 pounds must be in a rear-facing car seat with a five-point harness. Once a child turns 4, the youngster may ride in a front-facing car seat equipped with a five-point harness.
Children may transition to a booster seat when they outgrow the car seat. They must use a booster seat until they reach 8 years old and 57 inches in height. At that point, the child may sit on the seat and use a seat belt.
If the vehicle is a pickup truck or a sports car that lacks a rear seat, the child’s car seat may be placed on the front seat, but the passenger-side airbag must be disabled if the child is using a rear-facing car seat. Otherwise, a child can ride in the front seat in a car seat or booster seat.
Citing sources as varied as AAA and the New Jersey Division of Highway Traffic Safety, Mironov said car crashes are the leading cause of death for children under 14 in the United States.
Properly installed child safety seats can prevent injuries and save lives, but four out of five child safety seats are not properly installed, she said, citing those sources.
Children who are restrained in a child safety seat have an 80 percent lower risk of a fatal injury compared to those who are not restrained. The seats reduce fatal injuries by 71 percent for infants and by 45 percent for children between the ages of 1 and 4.
“The proper use of child safety seats is one of the simplest and most effective means to protect young children passengers,” Mironov said. “This proactive initiative is to focus publicly on the high value of using child safety seats and using them properly. Residents will be given literature offering tips on child safety in vehicles.”
Mironov is encouraging all residents who have child safety seats to attend one of the five planned sessions – June 30, July 7, July 21, Aug. 7 and Sept. 13.