Department of Transportation | “Make Sure Keiki are in the Right Seat” for Child Passenger Safety Week

HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT) is reminding caregivers to “Make sure keiki are in the right seat!” during National Child Passenger Safety Week Sept. 17 through Sept. 23. 

Child Passenger Safety Week is observed in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). This partnership is dedicated to educating caregivers on the importance of correctly choosing, installing, and using the right safety seat for their child passengers.  

Hawai‘i’s Child Passenger Safety Law states infants under 2 years of age must be properly restrained in a rear-facing car seat with harness. Keiki from 2-4 years of age must be properly restrained in a rear-facing or forward-facing car seat with harness. All keiki under 10 years of age must be in a child passenger safety seat or booster seat unless the child is over 4-feet-9 inches tall. Details: https://hidot.hawaii.gov/blog/2022/07/06/updated-child-passenger-safety-law/ 

For those over 10-years old or over 4-feet-9 inches, HDOT cautions that if the child’s seat belt doesn’t fit correctly, it won’t offer optimal protection in a crash. Proper seat belt use requires the child be seated all the way back in their seat, back flat against the back rest, knees bent comfortably over the seat cushion, with the lap belt worn low across the hips, and shoulder belt worn comfortably across the shoulder and chest. The safest place for all keiki under 13 is buckled up in the back seat.  

Every year, NHTSA and HDOT partner with local communities to hold car seat check events during Child Passenger Safety Week. “National Seat Check Saturday,” is a day for parents and caregivers to receive free instruction on how to correctly install and use the right car seats for their kids. Technicians will help determine if children are in the right seats for their ages and sizes and explain the importance of registering car seats with the manufacturers to be notified of any recalls. 

Upcoming Child Passenger Safety Week Events: 

• Saturday, Sept. 16 – 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., Car Seat Check Event, Waianae Mall, 86-120 Farrington, Hwy., Waianae. For more information, please contact Ruby Rellin, Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, email: [email protected] 
• Sunday, Sept. 17 – 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Car Seat Check Event, Hawai‘i Island in the Target parking lot, 74-5455 Makala Blvd., Kailua Kona. For more information, please contact Torey Keltner, Hawai‘i Police Department, phone: (808)961-2226. 
• Sunday, Sept. 17 – 9 a.m. – 12 p.m., Car Seat Check Event, Hawai‘i Island in front of the old Walgreens Store, 307 E  Makaʻala Street, Hilo. For more information, contact Torey Keltner, Hawai‘i Police Department, phone: (808)961-2226. 

• Saturday, Sept. 23 – 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., National Car Seat Check Day, Maui Marketplace, 270 Dairy Road, Kahului. For more information, please contact the Maui Police Department at (808)244-6391. 
• Saturday, Sept. 23 – 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., National Car Seat Check Day, Waipio Shopping Center, 94-1040 Waipio Uka Street, Waipahu. For more information, please contact Karen Tessier, Keiki Injury Prevention Coalition (KIPC), phone: (808) 294-0402, email: [email protected]
  

Don’t wait for a crash to happen to find out if your child’s seat is installed correctly. Let an expert check so you can have that piece of mind. All children in a motor vehicle must be properly restrained at all times, regardless of vehicle size.  

To make an appointment anytime for a car seat check, please call KIPC at 808-527-2588. For more information on child car seat safety and Hawaii’s updated child safety seat laws, visit: http://kipchawaii.org/car-seat-safety/  

For more child passenger safety information and brochures, please visit: https://hidot.hawaii.gov/highways/safe-communites/child-passenger-safety/ 

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