The Macon County Health Department will offer free car seat checks Friday, Sept. 25, as part of Child Passenger Safety Week.
The event will run from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Macon County Health Department in Decatur.
Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians will be available to help parents and caregivers make sure children are riding in the correct car seat and that the seat is properly installed and being used correctly.
Child Passenger Safety Week runs Sept. 20-26 and is held each year with support from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
There is a different type of child passenger restraint for each age and stage of development, including rear-facing and forward-facing car seats, booster seats and seat belts.
Children should remain in each type of restraint until they reach the height or weight limits for that seat. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also recommends that children under age 13 ride in the back seat.
According to NHTSA, motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for children. In 2024, an average of two children under age 14 were killed each day in crashes, while another 349 children were injured each day in traffic crashes while riding in passenger vehicles.
Parents and caregivers attending the car seat check are asked to bring the child who will be using the seat, the vehicle owner’s manual and, if possible, the car seat’s instruction manual.
No appointment is required. Car seat checks will be available on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information or to schedule a car seat check for another day, call the Macon County Health Department at 217-423-6988 and choose option 6.
For more information about child passenger safety, visit NHTSA.gov/TheRightSeat.
Comments