Maui Seat Inspection Offered for National Child Passenger Safety Week

Car Seat Inspection. Photo by Wendy Osher.

The Hawaiʻi Department of Transportation joins four county police departments and child passenger safety advocates in hosting free statewide child safety seat checks this Saturday as part of National Child Passenger Safety Week.

Parents and caregivers on Maui can learn how to correctly install their child safety seats at a free inspection to be held from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015, at the Maui Marketplace in Kahului.

Hawaiʻi’s Child Passenger Restraint Law requires children 4 years of age and younger to ride in a child safety seat.  Children between the ages of 4 and 7 years must ride in a child passenger restraint or booster seat.

Violators are required to attend a four-hour class and can be assessed penalties ranging from $100 to $500, depending on the number of offenses.

DOT statistics and recommendations:

• According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 24% of children ages 4 to 7 were prematurely moved to seat belts and 9% were unrestrained altogether.  DOT officials note that, “just because a child has reached the age of 7 doesn’t necessarily mean that he or she is ready to move out of a booster seat.”
• The American Academy of Pediatrics is now advising that children ride rear-facing until at least the age of 2 years old.
• Every 34 seconds a child under the age of 13 is involved in a crash. Motor vehicle crashes are a leading killer of children, and having the right car seats installed and used in the right way can make all the difference, according to State Department of Transportation Director Ford Fuchigami.
• Statistics show that 59% of car seats are misused.

“We can and need to do better to protect our keiki,” said Fuchigami in a press release statement. “Get your car seats checked. Even if you think your child is safe, check again. ”

A complete list of child seat inspections being offered around the state on Sept. 19, 2015 (except as noted) as part of the National Seat Check include the following:

• Oʻahu: Waipio Shopping Center, Waipahu, 94-1040 Waipio Uka Street. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Maui: Maui Marketplace, Kahului, 270 Dairy Road, 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Hawaiʻi County: Target, Hilo, 391 E. Makaʻala Street, 10 a.m. to Noon
• Hawaiʻi County: Waimea Fire Station, Waimea, 67-5175 Kamamalu Street, 10 a.m. to Noon
• Hawaiʻi County: Lanihau Center, Kona, 75-5595 Palani Road, 10 a.m. to Noon
• Kauai will also hold a community seat check on Friday, Sept. 18 at: Chiefess Kamakahelei Middle School, Līhue, 4431 Nuhou Street, 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.