Parents and child caregivers can get their child safety seats installed by experts for free this Saturday, September 21.
Nine locations across the state will host the event known as National Seat Check Saturday, recognized by the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission and the Louisiana Passenger Safety Task Force.
It's part of a national event aimed at raising awareness about keeping kids safe in vehicles.
There will be certified technicians at each location to help with installation and expert advice, organizers say.
Louisiana law regarding child safety seats is one of the strongest in the country, but the seats must be installed according to the child’s age and size to be fully effective, officials say.
Each location will be open from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, and no appointment is necessary.
For the installation to be as effective as possible, caregivers should go to the location with the child, the car seat, and the vehicle in which the seat will be installed.
The locations are:
Baton Rouge: Family & Youth Services Center – 1120 Government Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70802
Laplace: St. John Parish Sheriff's Office – 1801 W. Airline Hwy, Laplace, LA 70068
Houma: Rouse's Supermarket – 2233 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Houma, LA 70360
Lake Charles: Mockler Beverage – 3860 Broad Street, Lake Charles, LA 70615
Alexandria: Rapides Regional Medical Center – 211 Fourth Street, Alexandria, LA 71301
Monroe: Monroe Public Safety Center – 1810 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Monroe, LA 71202
Shreveport: Sheriff's Safety Town – 8910 Jewella Avenue, Shreveport, LA 71118
Abbeville: Boys & Girls Club of Acadiana, Vermilion Club – 301 A.A. Comeaux Memorial Drive, Abbeville, LA 70510
Covington: Lakeview Hospital – 95 Tanner Blvd. Covington, LA 70433
Louisiana’s child safety seat law spells out the type of seat and seat position for all children through age 13:
- Newborns through at least 2 years old should ride in the back seat facing the rear of the vehicle in an infant or convertible child safety seat.
- Children at least 2 years old who have outgrown the rear-facing seat manufacturer’s size guidelines should ride in the back seat facing the front of the vehicle in a forward-facing child safety seat with an internal harness.
- Children at least 4 years old who have outgrown the forward-facing seat manufacturer’s size guidelines should ride in a belt-position child booster seat using a lap-shoulder seat belt.
- Children who are 9 years old or have outgrown the booster seat manufacturer’s size guidelines can sit in the vehicle’s back seat with a lap and shoulder belt with these conditions:
- The adult safety belt fits correctly when the child sits all the way back against the vehicle seat.
- The child's knees bend over the edge of the vehicle seat.
- The belt fits snugly across the child's thighs and lower hips, and not the child's abdomen.
- The shoulder strap snugly crosses the center of the child's chest and not the child's neck.
· All children younger than 13 must ride in the back seat, when available.
Statistics show that children who are properly restrained in a child safety seat have a much better chance of surviving a serious motor vehicle crash. For more information about child safety seats, you can visit the Buckle Up Louisiana Facebook page.
