Free car seat safety checks, by certified child passenger safety technicians, are being offered on Tuesday, September 20th from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. at the Ashley Booth Griffin CARE for Children Center at 723 East Main Street in Bradford.
The event is part of Child Passenger Safety Week, which runs September 18-24, and will include instruction on how to install and use car seats correctly. Technicians will also help determine if your child is in the right seat for their age and size, and explain the importance of registering car seats with their manufacturers so parents and caregivers can be notified if there is a recall.
For the car seat checks, appointments are requested but not necessary. For those wishing to schedule a time call CARE at 814-362-4621 or email reception@careforchildren.info. Parents/ guardians are asked to bring both the vehicle manual and car seat instructions if available. For proper fitting it is requested that the child be present.
CARE is the lead agency for Safe Kids Pennsylvania-McKean County Partner and is partnering with the PA Traffic Injury Prevention Project, a program of the PA Chapter American Academy of Pediatrics, to hold the car seat safety event.
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 half (46%) of car seats are used incorrectly. Using age- and size-appropriate car seats and installing them correctly are the best ways to reduce these deaths and keep your child safe.
NHTSA recommends keeping children rear-facing as long as possible, up to the top height and weight allowed by their 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 buckled up in the back seat.
Safe Kids Pennsylvania- McKean County Partner is a collaboration of community organizations, businesses and individuals dedicated to promoting child safety and injury prevention through education, collaboration and advocacy.
