SAN ANTONIO – University Health and Safe Kids San Antonio will provide free safety inspections on car seats and booster seats on Saturday.
The event will be held from 9-11 a.m. at the Palo Alto College Performing Arts Center located at 1400 West Villaret Blvd.
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“When child safety seats are used correctly in a vehicle, the risk of death can be reduced by as much as 71%,” said Jennifer Northway, director of injury prevention at University Health.
Registration is recommended but not required. Spots can be reserved by calling 210-358-4295.
According to University Health, more than half of car seats are not used or installed correctly.
“Rear-facing seats should be a baby’s first car seat. Children can transition to a forward-facing car seat after the age of two and when the child’s weight exceeds 40 pounds. After children outgrow a forward-facing car seat, they should use a booster seat until they are over 4′9 and exceed 40 pounds. When children are seated in a booster seat in the back seat of a vehicle, they are 45% less likely to become injured during a crash compared to a child using a seat belt alone,” University Health officials said in a press release.
Northway warned about the rise of counterfeit car seats and said car seats should be purchased from reputable retailers.
“Car seats in the U.S. will have product labels attached to the seat in English and Spanish. New car seats should come with a manual and registration card. If not, then the car seat could be counterfeit,” Northway said.
To learn more about car seat safety, visit universityhealth.com/safekids.