NORTH COLLINS — Erie County Sheriff Timothy B. Howard announced a new plan to host bi-weekly car seat inspections at Sheriff’s substations beginning this month.

The check at the North Collins Substation at 10571 Main St. will be held Feb. 22 from 5 to 8 p.m.

Sheriff’s deputies, who are certified car seat technicians, will be at assigned substations on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month from 5 to 8 p.m. to inspect child seats for defects and ensure proper installation for various car seat models.

According to a 2015 National Traffic and Safety Board study, overall, 46 percent of car and booster seats are misused or installed improperly with 61 percent of forward-facing car seats installed improperly.

Sheriff Howard stated, “Every time my office hosts a car seat inspection event, deputies are overwhelmed by the number of parents and grandparents who stop to have a child seat inspected and we don’t want to turn a parent away; that’s why I am implementing this plan.”

Motor vehicle injuries are the leading cause of death for children in the United States, yet many of the deaths could have been prevented by utilizing a properly installed child car seat or booster. During these inspection events, a deputy will conduct a thorough check of the seat and properly install the seat while parents can ask questions, observe the installation and assist if they wish. Once the seat is properly installed, the deputy will offer the parent the option to install their seat using the techniques they were shown. The Sheriff’s office recommends bringing the child to ensure the proper fit of the seat.

“Oftentimes, my deputies find a seat that is misused or improperly installed,” Sheriff Howard detailed. “That is why it is important parents view the installation procedures and ask questions because an improperly installed car seat poses a safety risk to the child, so these added inspection sites can prove life saving.”

In New York state, any child under the age of 4 years old is required to be in a safety seat and every child from four until 8 years old needs to ride in a child restraint system, i.e. booster seat. The type of seat and positioning of the seat (forward- versus rear-facing) all depend on the weight and height of the child. The smaller the child, the longer he or she should stay rear-facing in their seat until the height and weight requirements are maxed out on their seat and their height, weight and age allow them to be turned forward-facing. It is recommended that every child remains rear-facing in the proper safety seat until 2 years old.

It is suggested that every parent or guardian read the manual provided with the seat, as well as their vehicle manual for recommendations for that particular seat and best placement within the vehicle.