Child Car Seat Safety

 

The Millville Police and Fire Departments have certified Child Passenger Safety Seat Technicians on staff to assist the public with acquiring the proper car seat, installing and inspecting child car seats.  If you want your car seat inspected or installed, call the Millville Police Department at 508-883-3117 to make an appointment. You may also reach Officer Scott Gould at scott.gould@millvillepolice.org  with any  questions you may have regarding this program. 

Make sure your vehicle is clear of debris and obstacles prior to installation/inspection.  Park next to the garage door at the Police Station, then come into the front lobby so the Officer can be notified. The Officer will ensure that you have a car seat that fits your child, fits the vehicle, and instruct you on how to use it correctly on every trip.

If you're considering a used car seat for your child, make sure the car seat comes with instructions and a label showing the manufacture date and model number; hasn't been recalled; isn't expired or more than 6 years old;has no visible damage or missing parts; and has never been in a moderate or severe crash. If you don't know the car seat's history, don't use it.

The safest place for your child's car seat is the back seat, away from active air bags. If the car seat is placed in the front seat and the air bag inflates, it could hit the back of a rear-facing car seat — right where your child's head is — and cause a serious or fatal injury. A child who rides in a forward-facing car seat could also be harmed by an air bag.

Resist the urge to place your child's car seat in the forward-facing position just so that you can see him or her in your rearview mirror. Riding rear facing is now recommended for as long as possible, until a child reaches highest weight or height allowed by the car seat manufacturer.

You can start with a convertible seat, which can be used rear facing and, later, forward facing and typically has a higher rear-facing weight and height limit than does an infant-only seat, or switch from an infant-only seat to a convertible car seat as your baby grows. When your child reaches the weight or height limit of the convertible seat, you can face the seat forward.

Bulky outerwear and blankets can prevent harness straps from snugly securing your child. Buckle the harness, and then place a coat or blanket over the harness to keep your baby warm.

Older children need booster seats to help an adult safety belt fit correctly. You can switch from a car seat to a booster seat when your child has topped the highest weight — typically 40 to 80 pounds (18 to 36 kilograms) — or height allowed by the car seat manufacturer. Remember, however, that your child is safest remaining in a car seat with a harness for as long as possible.

Booster seats must be used with a lap and shoulder belt — never a lap-only belt. Make sure the lap belt lies low across your child's hips and pelvis and that the shoulder belt crosses the middle of your child's chest and shoulder.

Remember, the back seat is the safest place for children younger than age 13.

 

Chapter 90: Section 7AA. Child passenger restraints; fine; violation as evidence in civil action.

Section 7AA. No child under age five and no child weighing forty pounds or less shall ride as a passenger in a motor vehicle on any way unless such child is properly fastened and secured, according to the manufacturer's instructions, by a child restraint as defined in section one.

No child who is five years of age or older, but not older than twelve years of age, shall ride as a passenger in a motor vehicle on any way unless such child is wearing a safety belt which is properly adjusted and fastened according to the manufacturer's instructions. The provisions of this section shall not apply to any such child who is: (1) riding as a passenger in a school bus; (2) riding as a passenger in a motor vehicle made before July first, nineteen hundred and sixty-six, that is not equipped with safety belts; (3) physically unable to use either a conventional child passenger restraint or a child restraint specifically designed for children with special needs; provided, however, that such condition is duly certified in writing by a physician who shall state the nature of the disability as well as the reasons such restraints are inappropriate; provided, further, that no such certifying physician shall be subject to liability in a civil action for the issuance of or for the failure to issue such certificate. An operator of a motor vehicle who violates the provisions of this section shall be subject to a fine of not more than twenty-five dollars; provided, however, that said twenty-five dollar fine shall not apply to an operator of a motor vehicle licensed as a taxi cab not equipped with a child passenger restraint device.

A violation of this section shall not be used as evidence of contributory negligence in any civil action. A person who receives a citation for a violation of any of the provisions of this section may contest such citation pursuant to section three of chapter ninety C. A violation of this section shall not be deemed to be a conviction of a moving violation of the motor vehicle laws for the purpose of determining surcharges on motor vehicle premiums pursuant to section one hundred and thirteen B of chapter one hundred and seventy-five.