Free Car Seat Clinic Saturday

DANBURY — Fairfield Country Safe Kids and Danbury Hospital will be conducting a free Car Seat Check Up event on January 20 from 11 am to 3 pm at Fair Honda in Danbury.

About 40 percent of kids still ride unrestrained, and of those children who are buckled up, four out of five are not restrained correctly.

“Most of the deaths and injuries occurring to children in motor vehicles can be prevented by using car seats and safety belts correctly,” said Charlie Conway, the executive director of Fairfield County Safe Kids. “This is a great opportunity to work one-on-one with parents who may be confused about the safest way to properly secure their child in a vehicle.”

Nearly 1,800 children die each year as motor vehicle passengers, and more than 305,000 are injured. Car seats are extremely effective when properly used and installed, reducing the risk of death by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers. It is estimated that 200 lives could be saved and 20,000 injuries could be prevented annually if all children ages four and under were properly restrained.

Families attending the Car Seat Check Up event can have their car seats examined by safety specialists for proper installation, age/size appropriateness, and to see if they have been recalled or visibly damaged.

The Car Seat Check Up Event is part of Safe Kids Buckle Up, a national program developed through a partnership with the National Safe Kids Campaign and General Motors to educate parents and caregivers about the importance of properly restraining children on every ride.

Fairfield County Safe Kids is a program of Danbury Hospital, Greenwich Hospital, Norwalk Hospital, the Stamford Hospital, and St Vincent’s Medical Center.