Car Seat Safety

To make an appointment to have your car seat installed or checked, please contact Hopedale Police dispatch at 508-473-8444. Appointments are available between the hours of 3:30PM and 9:00PM with Officer Conlon. Prior to coming in, you may download and complete the Car Seat Installation Application.

The Hopedale Police Department has officers who are Certified by the State of Massachusetts as Child Passenger Safety Seat technicians. These officers attend a 32 hour training course provided by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Massachusetts Governor's Highway Safety Bureau. The technicians serve as a resource to the residents of Hopedale regarding the proper installation of child car and booster seats.

A car seat installation can take a minimum of 45 minutes and potentially last longer based upon whether the car seat is a match to the child and the automobile. Safety checks are conducted in order to educate parents about the reduction of injuries to a child if the child is in the car when the automobile is involved in a crash. Technicians also check to ensure that there are no Manufacturer Recalls on the car/booster seat.

Many car seats checked by the department's certified technicians have not:

• Been properly installed,
• Been properly used, or
• Incompatible with the automobile.

Technicians discourage the following:

• The use of aftermarket products (items that are not supplied in the original manufacturer's packaging)
• Recycling seats among family and friends
• Using car/booster seats longer than six (6) years (due to potential breakdown of the car seat's structural integrity)