For the past four years our law firm has sponsored Seat Check Saturday events to bring awareness to National Child Passenger Safety Week. We have partnered with Safe Kids USA and the Alabama Department of Public Health to offer parents and child caregivers the opportunity to have their child safety seats installed or inspected at no cost. This year, the event will be held Saturday, September 28th. Qualified seat installation experts will be on hand to inspect and install child safety seats from 9 a.m.-noon at The Shoppes at EastChase in Montgomery. As we have previously reported, motor vehicle accidents remain the leading cause of death for children ages 3 to 14. Properly installed car seats and booster seats reduce the risk of serious and fatal injuries by more than half. The information set out below indicates how serious this matter is:
• Seven children die each day as a result of improperly fastened child seats;
• 85 percent of child seats are not installed according to manufacturers specifications;
• Nearly one-third of child seats are not suitable for the vehicles in which they are installed;
• Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for children ages 3-14;
• Properly installed car seats and booster seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by more than half.
For information on a nearby seat inspection site, you can visit the Safe Kids USA website and click on the link that says “In Your Area.” This will provide you with information about Safe Kids Coalition groups in your area, and allow you to search for a seat inspection site near you.
National Child Passenger Safety Week is sponsored annually by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). You can find more information about child safety seats and vehicle safety at the NHTSA website. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also has a helpful website with information about child safety seats. If you would like more information on this subject, contact Helen Taylor, Public Relations Coordinator for our firm, at 1-800-898-2034 or by email at Helen.Taylor@beasleyallen.com.
