BUFFALO, NY. (WKBW) — The Erie County Sheriff's Office partnered with Mercy Hospital Saturday for a free child safety seat check event behind the hospital on Mercy Street in Buffalo, kicking off a week of similar events across Erie County in recognition of
Certified technicians were on hand from 9 a.m. to noon to inspect car seats and child restraint systems. The sheriff's office also had a limited supply of car seats available at no cost for families who needed assistance obtaining one, made possible through grant funding.
Sgt. Simon Biegasiewicz of the Erie County Sheriff's Office said the partnership with Mercy Hospital was a natural fit.
"Obviously people having newborns, also we're in the city of Buffalo, so access to help a lot of families," Biegasiewicz said.
WATCH: Erie County Sheriff's Office and Mercy Hospital team up for free car seat safety checks
He said child seat safety is one of the most important things a parent can do for their child's wellbeing.
"The way we usually tell parents is to think basically the place besides your home that you're going to spend the most time with your child is taking them in your vehicle, and having those child restrained properly and safely and adequately is probably one of the most important things you can do for the safety of your child," Biegasiewicz said.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an estimated 325 child occupants age 4 and younger were saved by the use of child restraints in 2017 alone.
Biegasiewicz said some of the most common errors technicians find involve convertible car seats and harness tightness.
"A lot of them, especially when you get into convertible type of seats, are making sure they're either in the forward facing position or the proper rear facing position," he said. "Also belt tightness, we want to make sure you don't have any more than one side to side slide and making sure that the seat is secure and safely put in."
Saturday's event is the first in a series running through next Saturday. The sheriff's office publishes dates and locations for all upcoming checks on its Facebook, X, and Instagram pages. Biegasiewicz said the events are spread across the county to give as many families as possible the opportunity to have their seats inspected.
"We try to go most of north of the county, south of the county, so we give everybody an opportunity to come and get their car seats checked properly," he said.
The NHTSA data underscores the broader importance of proper vehicle restraints. In 2017, seat belt use saved an estimated 14,955 lives of occupants age 5 and older, while an additional 2,549 lives could have been saved if all unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants involved in fatal crashes had worn seat belts.
