Car Seat Safety Event
Every day in America, too many children ride in the wrong car seats or are completely unrestrained. To help combat the issue, McHenry County Safe Kids announced it will conduct a car seat safety event on September 19
at the DMV – Secretary of State Facility, 428 S Eastwood Dr, Woodstock. September 19 is National Seat Check Saturday. Certified child passenger safety technicians will be on hand from 9:00am to noon to check car seats for proper installation and educate parents and caregivers on how to choose the correct car seats and install them properly in their vehicles.
“Every 34 seconds a child under the age of 13 is involved in a crash,” said Mike Hill, Administrator for McHenry County Department of Health. “Using car seats that are age and size appropriate is the best way to keep your child safe.” “By attending McHenry County Safe Kid’s car seat event on September 19th, parents and caregivers can be sure their kids are riding as safely as possible in their vehicle.” Furthermore, he added, “Even if kids are in the right seat, sometimes they are not buckled in correctly.”
NHTSA recommends keeping children rear facing as long as possible up to the top height or weight allowed by their particular seats. Once a child outgrows the rear-facing car seat, he/she is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness. After outgrowing their car seats, children should be placed in booster seats. While Illinois law states a child must be in an appropriate car seat or booster seat until their eighth birthday, some eight-year-old children are not tall enough for the seat belt to fit them correctly. These kids need to stay in a booster seat until they are taller—4’9” is the recommended height.
Remember: In Illinois, children are required to be in a car seat or booster seat until at least age 8 and all children younger than 13 should ride in the back seat.
For more information on Child Passenger Safety visit http://www.nhtsa.gov or www.buckleupillinois.org.
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