Crime & Safety
Lockport Police Host Car Seat Safety Check
The Walmart Super Center in Lockport will have certified child passenger safety technicians on hand on Sept. 23, from 12 to 4 p.m.
LOCKPORT, IL — The Lockport Police Department has announced it will conduct a car seat safety event during National Child Passenger Safety week Sept. 17 - 23. According to the department, Walmart Super Center in Lockport will have certified child passenger safety technicians on hand on Sept. 23, from 12 to 4 p.m. 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. This event is one of 93 events in Illinois sponsored by AAA and the Illinois Department of Transportation.
“By attending Lockport's car seat event on Sept. 23, parents and caregivers can be sure their
kids are riding as safely as possible in their vehicle,” Officer Jeren Szmergalski said in a release.
Szmergalski added, even if kids are in the right seat, sometimes they are not buckled correctly, or the seat isn’t
installed in the vehicle properly. The most common mistakes can present the biggest dangers according to CPS technicians.
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According to the release, this year, Illinois events will focus on educating parents on the dangers of these eight mistakes:
- Turning the child forward facing too soon
- Not adjusting the harness snugly against the child
- Not securing the car seat in the vehicle properly
- Forgetting to register the car seat for recall notifications
- Having toys or other items unsecured in the vehicle
- Not using the lower anchors/latch system as approved
- Not using the top tether on a forward facing car seat
- Moving to the next car seat or booster seat too soon
According to the release, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 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 and top tether. After outgrowing his or her car seat, the child should be placed in a booster seat.
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Image via Shutterstock.
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