PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — September is Child Passenger Safety Month, and local agencies, including the Pennsylvania State Police, are holding free car seat safety check events.
The state police will host three days of checks the week of Sept. 22nd, where certified technicians will go car to car, helping families understand car seat safety.
Nearly half of all car seats are installed incorrectly, said Gina Duchossois, injury prevention manager at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
“We check how the car seat arrived and then we will get in the car with them and describe what things we found that may not be correct, and then we take the time to teach families how to make those corrections,” she explained.
Duchossois, who is also a child passenger safety technician, said that among the common mistakes families make is selecting the right car seat for their child’s age, height, and weight.
“Many times the car seat is not installed tightly in the vehicle, so we want that car seat to be tight, not moving more than 1 inch from side to side or towards the front of the vehicle when tested at the belt path of the car seat,” she said.
CHOP also offers in-person and virtual car seat checks. Sign-ups are available on its website.
A full list of Pennsylvania State Police inspection locations can be found on their website.