Westminster police get Child Passenger Safety grant

The Westminster Police Department has received a $5,020 grant from the Governor's Highway Safety Bureau (GHSB) to expand its child passenger safety efforts.

The GHSB, a program of the Executive Office of Public Safety, awarded 82 of these grants totaling $480,000 to Massachusetts organizations working to reduce motor vehicle fatalities and injuries involving children.

Misuse of car seats is a serious concern of the Westminster Police. The National Highway Safety Administration has reported that eight out of 10 car seats are being misused in the United States. Educating the public about how to properly install a child seat and how to appropriately secure the child in the seat are the key to keeping children safe. That is why the Westminster Police has dedicated having an officer specially trained to help parents with their child seats.

"With this GHSB grant, the Westminster Police Department can better serve parents and caregivers who want to protect their children from death or injury by properly securing them in a safety belt, booster seat, or child safety seat," said Officer Ralph LeBlanc, the Child Passenger Safety Technician for the Westminster Police Department.

"We can also keep reminding adults that they must set a good example for kids by obeying the Massachusetts safety belt law and always buckle up themselves."

Nationwide traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for children 3to 14-years-old. In Massachusetts there were 13 fatalities and 128 incapacitating injuries involving children 12 and under in 2004.

"The RomneyHaley Administration is pleased to provide this grant funding to the Westminster Police Department to support its child passenger safety initiatives," said Robert C. Haas, secretary of Public Safety. "We need to get the word out that properly installed child safety seats reduce the risk of death in a crash by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers. Parents and caregivers also need to know that children 40 to 80 pounds and under 4'9" are safest in a booster seat/safety belt combination."

The Westminster Police Department has been providing child seat inspections since 2003, by appointment throughout the week.

Since the start of the program they have help install and inspect more than 500 hundred child seats.

On Saturday, July 29, Tuesday, Aug. 8, and Monday, Aug. 21, the Westminster Police will be having a Child Passenger Safety Checkpoints at the Westminster Police Department. Each day the checkpoint will run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. It is recommended that you call in advance for an appointment on these days. In order to ensure that your child seat will be inspected. You can call dispatch anytime to schedule an appointment at (978) 874-2933 and mentioning the Child Seat Checkpoint.

The Massachusetts Child Passenger Safety Law requires all children under five years old and weighing 40 pounds or less to ride in a federally approved child safety seat. Children under five and weighing more than 40 pounds should ride in a booster seat. Children five and older and weighing more than 40 pounds usually require the use of a booster seat in order to wear a properly adjusted lap and shoulder seat belt. This is appropriate until the child reaches 80 pounds and 4'9". Children 12 and under are safest when properly restrained in the back seat, ideally away from airbags.

The Massachusetts Child Passenger Safety Law is a primary enforcement law. With a few minor exceptions, a police officer may stop a motor vehicle if a child is riding improperly restrained. A driver will be fined up to $25.00 for each improperly restrained child.

The Westminster Police want to remind the public that Massachusetts Safety Belt Law requires everyone to buckle-up. Adults need to set a good example for children, because 70 percent of youngsters whose parents don't use safety belts will not buckle-up when they grow up. Seat belt use and the misuse of child seats is a serious concern for all of public safety. The Westminster Police Department is dedicated to making a difference one child at a time.

- Submitted to The Journal