To mark Child Passenger Safety Week the St. Lawrence County Traffic Safety Program and North Country Child Safety Coalition advise parents and caregivers to properly secure their children in the best car restraint for their age and size.

The group says child seats are frequently misused in St. Lawrence County.

Programs in Canton, Potsdam, Massena and Ogdensburg showed a 76 percent misuse rate for seats checked from October 2011 through September 2013, according to the county Traffic Safety Program.

Child safety seats and seat belts can be lifesavers when used correctly every time, the St. Lawrence County Traffic Safety program says.

Common mistakes are choosing the wrong car seat for the height, weight, age and development of the child, failing to harness the child properly and installing the seat too loosely in the vehicle.

Local technicians offer inspection services in Massena, Potsdam and Ogdensburg on an appointment basis.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 1 through 12. Each year in New York more than 4,500 children up to the age of eight are treated at hospitals for injuries from a motor vehicle crash. The goal of the National Child Passenger Safety Week is to ensure all parents and caregivers are correctly securing children in the correct child restraints (rear-facing car seat, forward-facing car seat, booster seat or seat belt) for their ages and sizes.

Info: www.safeny.ny.gov, mdavison@stlawco.org or 379-2306.