To help prevent Injuries to Children in New York, the state is participating in National Child Passenger Safety Week campaign, which runs this week -- September 18th to the 24th.  This campaign is used every year to help raise awareness in parents and those who may transport children about the dangers that our children face in the event of a car accident.

According to State Police Commander Michael Kopy, of Troop K, local and state law enforcement agencies will be out working with the public to help ensure that our young vehicle occupants are properly buckled in during every car ride.

Injuries to children in New York City often result from motor vehicle crashes.  Car accidents are the number one cause of death for children ages 3- to 14-years-old.  Parents are urged to research their child seat's height and weight recommendations, as set forth by the manufacturer, to help ensure that children are properly restrained.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there were nearly 1,500 children under the age of 15 who were killed in motor-vehicle accidents in 2009 in the United States.  Nearly 200,000 were injured.  These numbers could have been significantly lower if all child safety seats were properly installed and children were buckled into the seats correctly.

New York state law says that children must be kept in a child safety seat until they are at least 8-years-old.  To help enforce this law, officers will be out in full-force during the week-long campaign -- on the hunt for parents and guardians who neglect to properly restrain their child in a motor vehicle.  Parents can potentially face a fine of $100 and points on their driver's license if they're busted for disobeying child restraint laws.

"The best safety seat for your child is one that fits your child, your vehicle, and will be used correctly every time your child rides in the car," Kopy said.

According to SafeNY, there will be dozens of child safety seat inspections taking place throughout the state before, during and after the campaign.  Parents and guardians are urged to call these technicians to make an appointment for an inspection.  This small step can help to protect your child in the event of a car accident.