MOUNT HOLLY, N.J. (KYW Newsradio) — The Burlington County Sheriff's Department wants parents to feel at ease when they buckle their children into child safety seats. Residents don't have to make an appointment or pay anything — all they have to do is drive up to an inspection checkpoint for help.
"We're committing to educating parents and caregivers on steps they need to take to keep their children safe while travelling our roadways," said Sheriff Anthony Basantis, said that's the goal of the department's child safety seat inspection program.
Beginning March 16, the department will perform free safety inspections for residents. Low-income families who can't afford child safety seats will be supplied with them.
Inspections will be held at the Burlington County Administration Building in Mount Holly. They will be offered every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., and will take approximately 20 minutes.
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"No more appointments are required, so people can just come in and have their safety seat installed," said Basantis. "We're going to have at least 10 checkpoints throughout Burlington County this year."
The department began checking safety seats more than 20 years ago, and continued to do so during the pandemic. More than 150 inspections were performed in 2020 and 2021. Over 90% of inspections revealed at least one mistake with the seat's installation.
"This underscores the critical need for this program of this nature in Burlington County," Basantis said, "particularly when motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of a death for children under 6 [years old] and over 6 months of age."
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