Get Child Seats Inspected Tuesday in Bridgewater

Written by Mike Deak

Free child passenger seat inspections will be conducted Tuesday, July 2, at the Bridgewater police Headquarters.

The inspections will be performed 3 to 6:30 p.m. by police officers who are certified Child Safety Seat Technicians. The event will be held rain or shine at the headquarters on Commons Way.

The next free inspection in Bridgewater will be held 3 to 6:30 p.m. Aug. 3, also at police headquarters.

Other future inspections are 3 to 6 p.m. July 11 at Hillsborough Firehouse 2 on Route 206 and 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. July 20 at Washington School, First Avenue, Raritan.

The inspections will be done by the Somerset County Child Passenger Safety Coalition in conjunction with the Somerset County Traffic Safety Alliance. The Somerset County Child Passenger Safety Coalition is composed of officers from the Bridgewater, Franklin, Hillsborough, Manville and Montgomery police departments as well as the Somerset County Sheriff’s Office and Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.

According to the  Somerset County Traffic Safety Alliance, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among children age 3 to 14. A properly installed and used child seat can reduce the risk of death by 71 percent. 

State law requires children up to age 8 or 80 pounds to ride in a safety or booster seat in the rear seat of a vehicle.

According to the Alliance, approximately 73 percent of all child passenger safety seats are being used incorrectly or are not installed correctly. 

For more information, contact Sgt. Jeff Petrone of the Manville Police Department at 908-725-1900, Ext. 688.