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Oct. 11, 2006

“ Car Seat Safety Check” among special services offered at Oct. 14 event

Free child car seat inspections will be offered at the Mayor’s Health Expo on Oct. 14 from 9 a.m.-noon at The Club at Woodbridge, 585 Main Street, Woodbridge, Interim Mayor Joseph F. Vitale has announced.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for parents to make sure their child’s safety seat is indeed genuinely safe,” says Mayor Vitale.

The inspections will be held by Woodbridge Police Department and Safe Kids Middlesex County Coalition. Sgt. Todd Kutcher of the WPD will be on hand to conduct the inspections. No appointments are necessary.

As a member of the WPD’s Traffic Enforcement Unit, Sgt. Kutcher has seen an astonishing number of incorrectly installed car seats that put children at risk. “Riding unrestrained is the greatest risk factor for death and injury among child occupants of motor vehicles,” says Sgt. Kutcher.

Woodbridge Councilman Charles Kenny suggested adding the inspections to the Mayor’s Health Expo. “Our Health Department does a terrific job with its educational programming,” he says. “We are hoping this reaches out to young families in the Township who may need extra assistance with their safety seats.”

Inappropriately restrained children are nearly three-and-a-half times more likely to be seriously injured in a crash than their appropriately restrained counterparts, points out Diana Starace , Safe Kids Middlesex County coordinator and injury prevention coordinator at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital.

“Most parents believe they have installed the car seat correctly,” says Starace. “But almost 73% of car seats are found to be incorrectly installed to a point where their effectiveness is critically reduced.”

The Mayor’s Health Expo will also provide its usual selection of free or low-cost health screenings, from cholesterol and blood pressure checks to foot exams and child lead screenings. More than 40 private and public healthcare specialists will be present with information on important health topics.

Call (732) 855-0600 ext. 5011 for information about the Mayor’s Health Expo.

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