Free car seat inspection, bike registration offered in Dewey

The Dewey Beach Police Department is now offering free child car seat inspections and bike registration to increase safety and deter crime.

Police Dispatcher Melissa Squier recently completed a 40-hour training course at Troop 2 in Newark, certifying her as a child passenger safety technician able to inspect and train caregivers in the proper use of child safety seats.

Squier said she has three kids, so she has a fair amount of experience with car seats, but the training truly showed her the intricacies of proper installment for child safety.

“I was shown why there’s so much information,” she said. “The training could have gone on a couple more days.”

Squier learned about every component that goes into a safe fitting, from the type of vehicle to the brand of car seat, and the proper use of seat belts, the latch system and tethers. 

“Never use a seat belt if you're using the latch system,” she said. “With a seat belt, you don’t need to worry about weight because they’re meant to hold adult weights.”

Proper fitting also depends on weight, the vehicle make and the type of car seat, she said.

“Car seats are not easy to put in; you need to use a lot of body force,” she said. “It’s difficult to do, so I make sure they are OK with installing the seat before they leave.”

Additionally, Squier learned that if a vehicle has been in an accident, most of the time the car seat needs to be replaced. Usually, the insurance company will pay for a new seat, she said.

“It’s made to absorb the force of an accident,” she said.

Car seats do expire, she said.

“They go through all seasons and extreme temperatures, and that material can dry rot and crack,” she said. “Never use an expired seat, or a used one unless it’s not expired and you can verify it was never in any accidents.”

Squier said she gives each person a sticker to fill out and place on the inside of the car seat with health and contact information in case the driver is unconscious or incapacitated due to an accident.

Squier noted that as of June 30, Delaware's child restraint law requires children under age 2 and 30 pounds to ride in a rear-facing car seat. 

“Don’t turn your baby forward before it’s time, no matter what,” she said. “The regulations are set for a reason. Rear-facing is safest until they get to a certain age and their musculoskeletal system is strong enough.”

Any add-ons to car seats that did not specifically come with the seat are not approved for use, she said. Such items, including mirrors or strap covers, can change the function of a car seat and even become a projectile in an accident.

Children under age 4 and 40 pounds must ride in a harnessed car seat. Children in booster seats must remain in their booster seats until reaching the height or weight maximum listed by the manufacturer. No booster seat has a height maximum lower than 4-feet-4-inches, she said.

The first offense for not having a child in a proper seat is a referral to the Office of Highway Safety, Squier said, and the second offense is a $25 fine plus court costs.

“We’d rather give education than a fine,” Squier said.

Delaware offers low-cost car seat programs through Safe Kids Delaware and Office of Highway Safety, Squier said. Caregivers must be receiving state assistance to qualify and must make appointments with a fitting station to receive the car seat and education. Go to safekids.org/coalition/safe-kids-delaware and ohs.delaware.gov/carseat.shtml.

Call 302-227-1110 for more information and to schedule a free car seat inspection appointment with Squier.

Bike registration

The department regularly receives reports of lost or stolen bikes, she said.

“Sometimes people will pick one up, use it and just drop it there,” she said. “We find them all over the place.”

Most of the time, bikes can’t be reunited with their owners because there is no identifying information on the bike. By the end of each summer, the department has a storage shed filled with unclaimed bikes.

To ensure a bike can be returned if found by police, and to help deter thefts, the department launched a bike registration program for full- or part-time residents, visitors, those who bike to their jobs and those who own rental properties that include bikes.

To sign up, visit the department at 105 Rodney Ave. to fill out a form for each bike that needs to be registered. Users will receive a numbered registration sticker to affix to the bike. To register a bike online, go to deweybeachpolice.gov/bicycleregistration.