HPD will conduct a combined DUI check point / child safety seat inspection on Kalanianaole Street in Hilo tomorrow from 9am to Noon.
 
While conducting the DUI checkpoint, officers will also be looking to see that children are properly restrained in a child safety seat or restraint for their size and age. Parents whose kids are not properly restrained will be directed to inspection stations where certified technicians will assist them. 
 
Nationwide, the average number of children killed every day in traffic collisions has been rising in recent years. In 2021, the most recent year for data available from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a total of 1,184 children were killed in traffic crashes, an eight percent increase over the 1,101 keiki killed in 2020 traffic crashes. The number of children who died while riding unrestrained in vehicles also increased from 38 percent in 2020 to 40 percent in 2021.
 
Locally, a 2022 University of Hawai‘i annual assessment showed that only 36 percent of toddlers were properly restrained in child safety seats in Hawai‘i. NHTSA estimates that correctly used child safety seats can reduce keiki traffic fatalities by 71 percent for infants under a year old and 54 percent for children age one to four years old.
 
Questions about installing a child safety seat can be directed to the district police station nearest you. A list of police stations can be found on our website, https://www.hawaiipolice.com/contact-us/police-stations.

HPD Photo