GRANITE CITY — Riverbend Head Start and Family Services announced today that certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians will be offering free car seat checks and education to parents and caregivers on Saturday, September 29, 2018, beginning at 9:00 a.m. at Weber Chevrolet, 3499 Progress Pkwy, Granite City, IL.
The event is part of National Seat Check Saturday, and will include instruction on how to install and use car seats correctly. Technicians can help determine if your child is in the right seat for their age and size. Technicians will also explain the importance of registering car seats with their manufacturers so parents and caregivers can be notified if there is a recall.
“As a parent, whether you consider yourself a beginner or an aficionado, keeping your children safe is always a top priority,” said Andi Newingham, Certified CPS Technician and Family Advocate of Riverbend Head Start and Family Services. “And that should always include using the right car seat, booster seat, or seat belt for your child. Every 33 seconds in 2015, one child under 13 was involved in a passenger vehicle crash. No parent ever wants to get it wrong when it comes to a child’s safety. That’s why we’re hosting this car seat check event on National Seat Check Saturday. Parents – don’t think you know – know you know – that your kids are secure in their car seats, and are in the right seats for their ages and sizes.”
Motor vehicle crashes are a leading killer of children, and the latest research from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that nearly two out of three car seats are misused. Newingham added that using age- and size-appropriate car seats and installing them correctly are the best ways to reduce these deaths. “More than one-third of children 12 and younger who died in crashes in 2016 while riding in cars, pickups, vans, and SUVs were unbuckled. Many of those kids could have survived if they had been buckled up.”
National Seat Check Saturday is part of Child Passenger Safety Week, which runs from September 23-29, 2018. The week is dedicated to teaching parents and caregivers about the importance of correctly choosing, installing, and using car seats, booster seats, and seat belts. Parents will also be reminded of the importance of registering car seats with their manufacturers so they can be notified in the event of a recall.
NHTSA recommends keeping children rear-facing as long as possible, up to the top height and weight allowed by the particular seats. It’s the best way to keep them safe. Once a child outgrows the rear-facing car seat, he or she is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness and tether. After outgrowing the forward-facing car seat, a child should be placed in a booster seat until tall enough to fit in a seat belt properly. The safest place for all kids under 13 is in the back seat.
Granite City’s National Seat Check Saturday event is being held at Weber Chevrolet, 3499 Progress Pkwy, Granite City, IL from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. All parents and caregivers are invited to attend this free event.
For more information on child car seat safety, as well as how to find other car seat check events, go to nhtsa.gov/carseat.
