Child Passenger Safety Week is this Sept. 23-29 and the local California Highway Patrol is already working to spread the word.
The CHP says automobile collisions are the number one preventable cause of death and injury among children, and statistics show car seats reduce the risk of death in an accident:
- Reduced risk to infants by 71 percent
- Reduced risk to toddlers by 54 percent
- Using a booster seat for children ages 4-8 reduces the risk of serious injury by 45 percent
CHP officers can check to make sure your child’s safety seat is installed correctly. They say nine out of ten child car seats are improperly installed.
"It’s a learning environment," said Officer Efrem Moore, California Highway Patrol Santa Maria office. "There’s no reason to give you a ticket because you’re coming in here
to ask for help, you’re concerned that your car seats may or may not be installed correctly and we’re simply gonna check it."
You can contact your local California Highway Patrol office to schedule a car seat check.
On Tuesday, CHP representatives attended the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors meeting to receive a proclamation for Child Passenger Safety Week.
