Temecula Parents: Southwest Deputies Help Properly Install Child Seats

TEMECULA, CA — Children are our most precious cargo, and there is no time like the present to make sure you are buckling them into a properly installed car seat. This week is Child Passenger Safety Week across Riverside County. Temecula California Highway Patrol Officers are on hand to assist parents, guardians, and caregivers with the proper car seat installation.

The Temecula CHP Area office schedules free child safety seat inspections each Friday, according to CHP officer Mike Lassig. They are located at 27685 Commerce Center Drive in Temecula.

"We help parents and caregivers properly install car seats, and we have grant seats available for low-income families," Lassig said. Call 951-506-2000 by appointment only—a certified technician will help install your seats or assist those who qualify with obtaining a seat through the grant program.

About 85 percent of the seats are installed improperly, according to Lassig.

"Children are vulnerable to injury in a crash when they are in the wrong type of car seat for their age and size or if the car seat is installed improperly," according to a news release from Riverside County Sheriff's Office CSO Nunez. "We are here to offer parents and caregivers guidance and reassurances that their child is as safe as possible while riding in the car."

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, just under half of car seats are misused, an estimated 46 percent.

The department provided a few tips for installing safety restraints:

California law requires all children under two years old to ride in a rear-facing car seat unless the child is 40 or more pounds or is 40 or more inches tall.

Parents are encouraged to keep their children in rear- and forward-facing seats as long as possible.

Children 8 and older or at least 4 feet 9 inches in height may be secured by a booster seat but, at a minimum, must be wearing a properly fitted safety belt.

To learn more about the Riverside County Sheriff's Office car seat program, contact CSO Nunez at 951-696-3000.

Though Child Passenger Safety Week is just one week a year, programs are available to help all residents have proper seating for children from infants to youths year-round. In Riverside County, a low-cost car seat program is available, according to CPS coordinator Erin Malone.