EDWARDSVILLE – The Illinois Department of Transportation announced today that certified child passenger safety technicians are offering free car seat safety checks throughout the state as part of Child Passenger Safety Week this week, highlighted by National Seat Check Saturday on Saturday, Sept. 25.
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“National Seat Check Saturday is an opportunity to make sure your child is safe in the correct car seat or booster seat,” said Cynthia Watters, IDOT’s bureau chief of Safety Programs and Engineering. “No parent ever wants to get it wrong when it comes to their child’s safety. Please take advantage of events in your area to check that your children are secure and in the right seats at every stage of life.”
Nationally, on average, two children under 13 were killed and an estimated 374 were injured every day in 2019 while riding in vehicles.
During Seat Check Saturday, technicians will provide instruction on how to install and use car seats correctly and help determine if your children are in the right seat for their age, height, and weight. In Illinois and across the United States, an estimated four out of five car seats are installed incorrectly, contributing to traffic crashes as a leading cause of death of children. The latest National Highway Traffic Safety Administration research shows that more than one-third of children 12 and younger who died in crashes were not properly restrained.
State law requires children to ride in a child safety seat until age 8 and rear-facing until age 2.
For more information on car seat safety or to locate a certified technician, visit nhtsa.gov/therightseat. To learn more about IDOT’s Child Passenger Safety program and locate a Seat Check Saturday event near you, see buckleupSaturdayillinois.org.
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