Police Promise Strict Enforcement

Of Seat Belt And Child Safety Seat Laws

By Andrew Gorosko

Police are stepping up their enforcement of seatbelt and child safety seat laws.

Along with many other police departments in the state, Newtown police from February 9 through 23 will participate in a seatbelt and child safety seat enforcement campaign, according to Sergeant George Sinko, the police department’s certified child safety seat technician.

The campaign coincides with National Child Passenger Safety Awareness Week, which runs from February 11 through 17.

The value of using seatbelts and child safety seats when traveling cannot be overstated, according to Sgt Sinko.

The state’s efforts to promote seatbelt and child safety seat use have saved many lives and reduced the number of injuries in motor vehicle accidents, he said.

Not only is using the safety devices wise, it is required by Connecticut law, he said Tuesday.

Police plan to be out in force from February 9 through 23 seeking motorists who violate seatbelt and child safety seat laws, the sergeant said.

State law requires that all front-seat passengers be seat-belted, even if the vehicle is equipped with air bags. Passengers in the front seat or rear seat who are ages 4 through 15 must wear seatbelts. Children under age 4 must be in a child safety seat.

Seatbelt law violations carry a $37 fine. Child safety seat violations have $60 fines.

As the police department’s certified child safety seat technician, Sgt Sinko answers questions from the public and advises people on the proper use of child safety seats. 

Virtually everyone that he has seen who had questions for him about child safety seats had been using the seats improperly, he said.

Child safety seats range in price from about $60 to $300. The more expensive seats are better designed and built. But even the less expensive seats offer much protection, if they are properly used, he said.

Although state law does not require it, the use of a “booster seat” or “seatbelt adjuster” offers an extra level of protection to passengers up to age 10, Sgt Sinko said.

Sgt Sinko acknowledges that using seatbelts can be a nuisance to motorists, especially in the wintertime when they are wearing heavy clothing, but he adds, seatbelts are effective in preventing injuries and death when traveling in motor vehicles.

Using child safety seats may appear straightforward, but the actual use of the devices is fraught with complexity, according to Sgt Sinko.

The sergeant spent four days last fall in a program at Norwalk Hospital learning about child safety seats. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the American Automobile Association sanction the program.

It is estimated that child safety seats are used incorrectly 80 to 85 percent of the time.

Complexity in using such child safety seats stems from the multiple variables that come into play, including the design of the specific seat, the type of seat belts in the motor vehicle, the type of vehicle, the design of the vehicle’s passenger seats, the age of the children using the safety seats, and the children’s weight.

There are different types of safety seats available for children, based on their age and weight.

Seats designed for use by infants face backwards. They should be positioned in the center of the rear seat of the vehicle, or in the center of the second row of seats, if the vehicle has three rows of seats.   Such seats are designed for children who weigh up to 20 pounds.

Another type of child safety seat is known as a “convertible” seat. It can be converted from a rear-facing infant seat to a forward-facing seat for older, heavier children.

Another type of seat is “non-convertible,” designed only for children who are older than infants.

Also, “booster” seats are available for older children.

The complexities of child safety seats are compounded by various motor vehicles, which have three different types of seat belts: automatic locking retractors, emergency locking retractors, and switchable retractors.

Also, the instruction manuals which are provided with child safety seats are not the clearest documents. But, he adds, the manuals now provided with such seats are more understandable than they had been in the past.

Sgt Sinko said residents with questions about the proper use of child safety seats may contact him at the police station at 426-5841.