Children are precious cargo, but parents sometimes fail to secure them properly in car seats.
On Saturday from 11 a.m.-2 p.m., a demonstration will be held at
JC Penney at Carolina Place Mall to educate consumers on the proper way to install child seats. Certified child passenger safety specialists will examine car seats for correct use and installation free of charge.
"We hope this event will raise awareness of parents about the safety of car seats," said Inge Garrison co-coordinator with her husband Rusty of the Charlotte SAFE KIDS coalition.
"Parents should take the extra five minutes to put the car seats in right to keep their children safe."
According to a national study conducted by SAFE KIDS:
- 85 percent of child car seats are misused
- Approximately 40 percent of children ride unrestrained
If children using child safe seats were properly restrained, the 200 children could be saved annually and 20,000 injuries could be prevented.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, all children 12 and younger should ride properly buckled up in the back seat and rear-facing child safety seats should not be
placed in the front where an air bag is present.
Infants should ride in a rear-facing safety seat until they have reached 20 pounds and 1 year of age.
The safety seat should recline at a 45 degree angle or as directed by the manufacturer.
A forward facing child safety seat with a harness is best for children over 1 year who weigh between 20 and 40 pounds.
If a child is too tall for the convertible seat and weighs at least 40 pounds, a booster seat is suggested.
"The mistake most parents make is trying to to graduate their child too soon to another size car
seats or don't have the car seat tight enough," Garrison said.
"I think one of the best ways to deal with the problem of car seat safety is to disseminate
information which is what we plan to do Saturday. We have had large gatherings like this before but we hope Saturday will be our biggest."
