NMDOT Sponsors Statewide Car Seat Clinics for National Seat Check Saturday

Santa Fe, NM – The New Mexico Department of Transportation (NMDOT) Traffic Safety Division will sponsor Car Seat Inspection Clinics at 11 locations across the state on Saturday, September 21, 2024, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. as part of National Seat Check Saturday. The National event focuses on the importance of properly securing children in an appropriate car or booster seat.

During the events, parents and caregivers will work one-on-one with nationally certified child passenger safety technicians. Technicians will spend approximately 30 minutes per seat educating parents on the proper selection, installation, and use of their car seats and booster seats. Parents and caregivers will also learn important information regarding common errors in car seat safety and will be able to ask questions. If a technician determines a car seat to be recalled, expired, or otherwise unsafe, replacement seats will be available.

To participate in a Car Seat Inspection clinic, parents and caregivers should bring their car seat, car seat manual, vehicle manual, and the child should be present if possible. Car seat inspections are first-come, first-served and no appointments are necessary. The clinics are a public service provided by the NMDOT Traffic Safety Division and Safer New Mexico Now. There is no charge for this service, however a seat replacement fee of $35 may apply.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motor vehicle-related injuries remain a leading cause of death for children ages 15 and younger. Using car seats decreases the risk of death by an estimated 71% for rear-facing infants and 54% for older, forward-facing children. Additionally, booster seats reduce the likelihood of significant injury for 4- to 8-year-old children over the use of seat belts alone. A NHTSA study found that while most parents and caregivers believe they know how to properly install their car seats, about half (48%) have installed their child’s car seat incorrectly.

Statewide car seat clinics will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday, September 21, 2024, at the following locations:

Additional background:

The NMDOT Traffic Safety Division created an Occupant Protection Plan focused on increasing seatbelt use and use of child safety seats among the driving public. The primary goal of New Mexico’s Occupant Protection Program is to reduce the number of occupant protection-related traffic crashes, fatalities and injuries. The Occupant Protection focuses on a variety of areas including Seatbelt and Child Passenger Safety, Child Safety Seat Distribution Program, Car Seat Inspection Events, and Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Certification Training Program. NMDOT also funds Safer New Mexico Now, a program that continues to lead efforts to advance traffic safety across the state by focusing on education and prevention. Funded by the New Mexico Department of Transportation Traffic Safety Division, the New Mexico Child Safety Seat Distribution Program (NMCSSDP) helps provide car seats and education on how to properly use them to low-income New Mexico families at a minimal cost. There are approximately 45 distribution locations statewide.

For more information about National Seat Check Saturday, or for other child passenger safety information, call 505-856-6143 or visit www.safernm.org.