Child safety seats can be lifesavers for our most precious cargo when used properly. To support parents and caregivers so that their children fit securely in car seats, Public Health – Seattle & King County is hosting four free child car seat check-up events over the late spring and summer.
Here are the events details:
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Newcastle: May 31, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Coal Creek Family YMCA, 13750 Newcastle Golf Club Road
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Renton: June 14, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Renton Public Health Center, 3001 N.E. 4th St.
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Bellevue/Factoria: July 19, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Eastgate Public Health Center, 14350 S.E. Eastgate Way
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Federal Way: Aug. 7, 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Steel Lake Park, 2410 S. 312th St.
For all events, bring your car, car seat and child and learn how to properly install the seat.
Parents and caregivers will have their child safety seat checked by a certified technician for safe installation; soon-to-be parents/caregivers are welcome as well. Educational materials will also be on hand.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends keeping children up to 2 years old in rear facing seats or until they have reached the maximum height and weight limits of the car seat, as allowed by the manufacturer.
Child safety seats reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants younger than 1 year old and by 54 percent for toddlers in passenger cars, according to national research.
By one estimate (2009), 309 lives were saved nationally by child safety seat use.
For more information about the events, call 206-263-8544 or visit www.kingcounty.gov/healthservices/health/news/2013/13052901.aspx.
For ongoing child safety seat check-up locations in the Puget Sound area, check the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website at www.nhtsa.gov/cps/cpsfitting/index.cfm.
