Car seat safety checks this weekend

Child Passenger Safety Technicians will be at Walmart in Clayton Saturday, Sept. 23, from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. as Safe Kids Rabun County and Rabun County Sheriff’s Office will host a seat check station. The event is free and open to the community.

Sept. 17-23 is Child Passenger Safety Week; and Sept. 23 is National Seat Check Saturday.

SRO Lisa Thompson, Safe Kids Rabun coordinator, said misuse of car seats can lead to injury or death in children so the event is important to educate the community about car seat, booster seat and seat belt proper fit.

Anyone with questions or who want to have car seats and booster seats checked are welcome to attend the event.

Child passenger safety technicians are certified and can educate about how to keep children safe.

“We want to take all the steps necessary to protect our child passengers,” Thompson said. Technicians also will hand out educational resources to community members.

Technicians recommend adults have the child with them to get the car seat checked so that the child’s height and weight can be taken to be sure they have proper fit.

Thompson said these safety checks are offered throughout the year as well as in classes at the Rabun County Health Department.

Thompson said the back seat is the safest place for children through the age of 12 and that seat belts are made for adults 4-foot-9 and taller.

Walmart in Clayton is located at 1455 Highway 441, Clayton.

Child Passenger Safety Week is Sept. 17-23 and communities around the nation organized activities to educate communities, according to the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety website.

According to Georgia’s child passenger safety seat laws, all children under the age of 8 are required to be properly restrained in an appropriate child passenger safety seat or booster seat.

Car crashes are a leading cause of death for children, according to the United States Department of Transportation.

-710 children under 13 were killed in passenger vehicles in 2021, and more than 100,000 were injured.

-In 2021, more than a third, 36 percent, of children under 13 who died while riding in passenger vehicles were unrestrained, according to the United States Department of Education website.

Correctly used child safety seats can reduce the risk of death by as much as 71 percent and more than half of car seats are not used or installed correctly, according to the Safe Kids Worldwide website.

Tips about car seat safety

The Safe Kids Worldwide website provides tips about car seat safety.

-Buying the right car seat: Your baby needs to ride in a rear-facing car seat as long as possible until 2 or more years. When your child has outgrown that seat, you are ready for a forward-facing car seat.

-Installing your car seat: You’ll need to decide on using either the seat belt or lower anchors to secure your car seat. Both are safe, but don’t use them both at the same time. Once your child is forward facing, it is important to use the tether with the seat belt or lower anchors.

-Getting the right fit: A properly-fitted harness gives the best possible protection for your child.

-When to change your car seat: Look on the car seat label to make sure your child is still within the weight, height, and age limits for that seat.