Beaverton Police, Safe Kids Coalition to Offer Car Seat Safety Clinic

BEAVERTON, OR – In an effort to decrease the annual numbers of children killed or injured in vehicle accidents in Washington County, the Beaverton Police Department has partnered with Safe Kids Coalition – Washington County to offer a free community car seat clinic this weekend.

From 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Saturday, April 1, parents and caregivers can visit the Beaverton Police Department, 4755 S.W. Griffith Dr., to be trained by six certified technicians on how to properly install and use child safety restraints.

“These clinics are important because more often than not parents don’t read the instructions that come with the car seats,” BPD spokesman Mike Rowe told Patch Tuesday. “The car seat clinics help officers share information and ensure seats are being used safely.”

No appointment is necessary and each car seat check is expected to take about 30 minutes.

The last vehicles will be accepted at 11:30 a.m.

"We want to make sure parents have car seats that are up to date, functional, and installed properly," said Bruce Montgomery, lead organizer for Safe Kids Coalition – Washington County. "We also look at every car seat to make sure they're not past their expiration dates."

Along with proper car seat installation instruction, attendees will hear about the importance of registering car seats with the manufacturers and why parents and caregivers are the strongest influence for modeling safe behaviors when riding in cars.

"One thing a lot of people don't understand is the extensive training the car seat technicians go through to ensure they understand the various types of car seats and how to install them in different types of cars," Montgomery said, noting the need to know how to navigate bench or bucket seats, and chest or lap belt restraints.

Beaverton police have offered 165 clinics since 2006, but Rowe said the department has historically offered plenty more going back at least two decades –– adding that along with the Safe Kids Coalition, BPD has also partnered with Kuni Collision Center to hold clinics indoors during inclement weather.

The Forest Grove Fire Department also holds car seat clinics on the third Thursday of every month from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. inside the fire station, 1919 Ash St. in Forest Grove, and the Hillsboro Fire Department hosts a clinic on the second Saturday of every month from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. inside the parking garage at the Tuality Health Education Center, 334 S.E. 8th Ave. in Hillsboro.

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