WGI Promotes a Safe Community by Hosting Training for Child Passenger Safety Technicians

Newly-Trained Technicians will Hold Child Safety Seat Check on Saturday, January 9

As part of its continued efforts to help support and promote vehicular safety in its community, Watkins Glen International teamed up with the Schuyler County Sheriff’s Office and Cornell Cooperative Extension to bring a very important training session to the area.  The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Child Passenger Safety Technician training that took place at the historic road course educated a mix of 21 police officers and staff members from 11 New York State-based organizations on the proper techniques for installing child seats and applying the belts on children.  The certified child safety technicians will put their newly-acquired knowledge to good use during a child safety seat check at the Schuyler County Highway Department located at 910 Decatur Street in Watkins Glen, NY on Saturday, January 9 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM.  The check is open to any member of the general public, not just residents of Schuyler County.

“This training was extremely important because Schuyler County did not have any child safety seat technicians until this week’s session was complete,” said June Webster, the New York State Region Child Passenger Safety Advisory Board Representative for Schuyler County.  “The goal of the training is to get accurate information about child safety seats into the community and help protect children.  Schuyler County will now be in position to have more frequent checks than it has in the past which will obviously help towards this goal.”

The training itself consisted of a mix of classroom lectures in the WGI media center and practical experience in The Glen’s garage over the course of three days.  The training began on Wednesday, January 6 and ran through the end of the day on Friday, January 8.  Each participant was trained in the skills necessary to verify the proper installation of a child safety seat, correctly restrain a child in the seat, inspect a safety seat for defaults or other issues that will decrease its effectiveness, and how to determine if a child restraint system meets a child’s size and weight. 

The entire process of brining this training to the area began when Schuyler County Sheriff William Yessman responded to a flyer sent by the NYS Governors’ Traffic Safety Administration asking if there was interest in holding a Child Passenger Safety Technician training.  The session attracted participates from organizations throughout the region including the Schuyler County Sheriff’s Office, Steuben County Special Children’s Services, Steuben County Public Health and Nursing Services, and the Tompkins County Sheriff’s Office.  Regular checks are extremely important as motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of injuries and death among children in New York State.  Many of these injuries can be prevented by placing children in age and size appropriate child safety seats and booster seats.  According to New York State, 95% of all child passenger safety seats are installed incorrectly.  Parents that take advantage of the check on Saturday will have their child’s safety seat inspected, replaced if it is unsafe, and receive important information about safely transporting their child in their vehicle.  

Tickets for the entire 2010 season including the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at The Glen, August 5-8, and Camping World Grand Prix at The Glen, July 2-4, weekends are on sale now!  Fans can take advantage of advanced sale prices and new options by calling the Watkins Glen International ticket office at 866-461-RACE (7223) or logging on to the official website, www.TheGlen.com.  Tickets, gift certificates and track merchandise can all be purchased at The Shop located at 2 North Franklin Street in downtown Watkins Glen.  The Shop is open Monday-Friday 9-5, Saturday 9-4, and is closed Sunday.