Get Child Seat Checks In Lower Merion For Child Safety Week

LOWER MERION TOWNSHIP, PA — With Sept. 15 through Sept. 21 being National Child Passenger Safety Week, you may want to make sure your little ones are safe and secure while riding in vehicles. Luckily, Lower Merion Township Deputy Fire Matt Marshal Maguire and Lower Merion Police Officer Melanie Tammaro can do just that for you.

During National Child Passenger Safety Week, Lower Merion Township is reminding parents to be sure to use approved child safety seats and to use them properly. The campaign is dedicated to helping parents and caregivers make sure their children ride as safely as possible—every trip, every time. This year’s theme, “Click it Tight. It is Worth Their Life to do it Right,” highlights the need for all children to buckle up using the right car seat, booster seat, or seat belt every time they travel.

Maguire and Tammaro are both certified by Safe Kids Worldwide and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to help install child safety seats by appointment at the Township Administration Building, 75 E. Lancaster Avenue in Ardmore.

To make an appointment for child safety seat checks and installation, call Maguire at (610) 645-6190 or Tammaro at (610) 645-6226.

Motor vehicle crashes remains the leading killer of children. Using a car seat that is age- and size-appropriate is the best way to keep a child safe. According to the National Highway Transportation Safety Authority, in 2017, 312 children under the age of 5 were saved because they were using restraints.

"Every 32 seconds in 2017, a child under 13 was involved in a vehicle crash," Maguire said. "Car seats matter and having the right car seat installed and used the right way is critical."

Parents who wear their seat belt are important role models for a child learning good habits in and around vehicles.

Research shows that children are more likely to be buckled when the driver is buckled. That is why it is important, not only for a parent’s safety but for their children, that adults always wear their seat belt before putting the car into drive.

Make certain that everyone in the car is protected, that every child is secured in the right car seat and that it is installed and used correctly.