The Oswego County Traffic Safety Board (OCTSB), a division of Integrated Community Planning of Oswego County, Inc., will host a car seat safety check event with the Oswego City School District (OCSD) in the new year. The event, sponsored by the NYS Governor’s Traffic Safety Committee, runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14 at OCSD’s Transportation Department, 22 Richard Benjamin Blvd. in Oswego.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), car crashes are a leading cause of death for children. The agency reports that nearly three children were killed and an estimated 380 children were injured in traffic crashes every day in 2020, the most recent year data is available. In addition, safety restraint use was known for 680 of the 755 child passenger deaths that year and, of those known cases, 286 children were unrestrained.

“It has also been reported that over half of all car seats are installed incorrectly,” said Oswego County Traffic Safety Board Coordinator Aine Foley. “For all of these reasons, it is very important for parents to ensure that their children are traveling safely. With this event, visitors will be able to have their car seats checked for proper installation by certified technicians.”

In addition to checking car seats, representatives from the OCTSB and other organizations will be available to offer assistance, answer questions and provide education on local community resources available to residents.

For more information about this event or child passenger safety, please contact OCTSB Coordinator Aine Foley at 315-343-2344 x122 or by email at oswgtsb@icpoc.org.