County offers car seat checks for Child Passenger Safety Week

Parents can rest easy after getting their car seats checked this week at designated inspection stations in Chapel Hill and Carrboro.

Orange County parents who participate can join hundreds, if not thousands, of parents from across the state by visiting checking stations as part of National Child Passenger Safety Week, said Bill Hall from the UNC Highway Safety Research Center.

Hall, manager of the center’s Occupant Protection Program, said child motor vehicle accident fatalities and serious injuries have declined in recent years.

He credited the decrease to proper seat belt and car seat use. He said both have increased partly because of safety awareness programs like Safe Kids and Buckle Up Kids.

According to the N.C. Department of Transportation, more than 90 percent of children involved in crashes in 2009 were reported to have been buckled up.

Both Carrboro Fire-Rescue Department stations, Chapel Hill Fire Department Station 2 and the UNC Highway Safety Research Center are designated inspection sites that offer car seat checks and safety information sessions.

Lt. William Kitchin of the Carrboro fire department said he expects 20 to 40 parents to come for inspections this week. The stations also offer inspections throughout the year.

“As long as we’re available, parents can walk in any time,” he said.

“Most car seats the department inspects are up to code.”

But only yesterday a child came in who had outgrown the five-point harness for her car seat, he said. Her parents, who are on financial assistance, were able to purchase a new seat on site at a reduced price.

Along with car seat inspections, information sessions are being offered across the state to teach parents how to keep their children safe in the car.

“One of the most important things is that you have to make sure everyone is properly buckled up each and every trip,” Hall said. “You can’t say, ‘Oh, I’m just going a couple of blocks down the street, so I don’t need to put Junior in his car seat.’”

Most parents also don’t realize that switching from one type of restraint to another actually decreases the amount of protection given to a child, Hall said.

“We advocate that parents don’t be in a hurry to move their child from one step to another,” he said.

Chapel Hill resident Doug Townsend said he tries to be safety conscious when driving with his children by using up-to-date booster seats for his two boys.

Townsend said the most important thing for him is to bring toys for the boys.

“When everyone’s screaming their head off, it’s easy to get distracted while driving.”

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