Hawai‘i Police Department
Traffic Services Section
Torey D. Keltner, Program Manager
Phone: (808) 961-2305
Media Release
Hawai‘i Police Department (HPD), in partnership with Partners for Safe Keiki, East Hawai‘i Kiwanis Club, Hilo Medical Center, Judiciary’s Drivers Education program, and the Hawaii Department of Transportation will hold a free child safety seat clinic for families on Saturday, April 22, 2023, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., in the Hilo Police Station parking lot, 349 Kapi‘olani Street.
Certified technicians will be on hand to assist families with the proper installation of child safety seats, check for any factory recalls on seats and vehicles, and answer questions.
Did you know that two out of three children are NOT buckled up correctly? The results can be devastating. According to 2019 data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the most recent year for available data, an average of two children under the age of 13 were killed and 374 were injured every day in the U.S. while riding in cars, SUVs, pickups, and vans. Thirty eight percent of the children who died in 2019 while riding in passenger vehicles were unstrained.
“Protecting our ‘ohana, and particularly our keiki, in Hawai‘i is always a top priority” says Torey Keltner of HPD’s Traffic Services Section.
“Using the proper type of car seat or booster seat is very important. It’s a great time to ask questions and we are here to help. Every time HPD hosts an event like this parents come away with a better understanding of how to safely install the seats and I can see that it gives them confidence knowing that they have done the best job in protecting their own keiki.”
“Please help spread the word about this free event,” adds Keltner.
For more information on Saturday’s child safety seat clinic, please contact Sandy Tomiyama, volunteer with Partners for Safe Keiki, at (808) 896-1940.
