LIHU‘E — In recognition of National Child Passenger Safety Week, Kaua’i police will be hosting a free car seat safety inspection Friday at Kapa‘a Middle School from 4:30 to 6 p.m. “Car crashes are the No. 1 cause of death
LIHU‘E — In recognition of National Child Passenger Safety Week, Kaua’i police will be hosting a free car seat safety inspection Friday at Kapa‘a Middle School from 4:30 to 6 p.m.
“Car crashes are the No. 1 cause of death for children under 12 years of age in the United States,” said Lt. Jon Takamura of the Traffic Safety Unit. “No matter how safe of a driver you are, collisions can happen at any time, and properly restraining your child could mean the difference between life and death.”
In order to be effective, car seats must be the right fit for both your child and vehicle, and they must be properly installed.
Car seat installation can be a complicated process, which is why officials encourage drivers to attend a free car seat inspection event.
“The officers who host these events are certified child passenger seat technicians,” said Takamura. “They will inspect your car seat and installation, and make the necessary recommendations or corrections right there on the spot.”
National Child Passenger Safety Week is an awareness campaign spearheaded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
The campaign is promoted locally by the State Department of Transportation, and police departments from all four counties, in an effort to educate the public on Hawai’i’s child passenger restraint laws.
As part of that effort, officers statewide will be stepping up enforcement.
“Properly restraining your child in a vehicle is the single most important thing you can do to protect your child on the road,” added Takamura.
According to Hawai’i Revised Statute 291-11.5, no person operating a motor vehicle shall transport a child under 8 years of age except under the following circumstances:
• If the child is under 4 years of age, the person operating the motor vehicle shall ensure that the child is properly restrained in a child passenger restraint system that meets federal motor vehicle safety standards at the time of its manufacture; or
• If the child is 4 years of age or older but less than 8 years of age, the person operating the motor vehicle shall ensure that the child
is properly restrained in a child safety seat or booster seat that meets federal
motor vehicle safety standards at the time of its
manufacture; unless the child is over 4 feet and 9 inches in height; or over 40 pounds and traveling in a motor vehicle equipped only with lap belts, without shoulder straps, in the back seat.
Those unable to attend Friday’s car seat inspections at Kapa‘a Middle School are encouraged to attend one of the following upcoming inspections:
• Sept. 28 from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Kapa‘a Beach Park.
• Oct. 13 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Kmart parking lot
Inspections are free and open to the public.
For more information on car seat inspections, call the Traffic Safety Unit at 241-1612.
To request an ASL Interpreter, materials in an alternate format, or other auxiliary aid support, email sblane@kauai.gov.
For tips to increase your child’s car seat safety, visit www.safercar.gov.
