The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute is encouraging parents and caregivers to take the time during Child Passenger Safety Week to make sure their child is properly secured in an appropriate car seat or booster seat.
The annual safety week, which runs this year from Sept. 15 to 21, ends with a national car seat education event known as National Car Seat Check Saturday. Throughout the week, organizations across the state will be hosting child passenger safety events. During these events, certified child passenger safety technicians will check car seats, let caregivers know if their children are in the right seats for their ages and sizes, and show them how to install the right seats correctly.
“A properly installed car seat is a child’s best defense against injury in a crash,” said Devon McDonald, ICJI’s executive director. “Let’s ensure every child is riding safely.”
Statistics show nearly one out of every five children aged four or younger who died in crashes from 2018 to 2022 were unrestrained. ICJI wants caregivers to know that it’s never safe to allow a child to ride in a passenger vehicle unrestrained, no matter how short the trip or how big the vehicle is.
When it comes to child passengers, there is a right seat for every age and developmental stage. No matter what the stage is, a certified technician can put parents’ minds at ease by discussing correct car seat selection and showing them how to correctly install that seat in their vehicle.
“Every child deserves a safe ride,” said Jim Bryan, traffic safety director for ICJI. “We urge parents and caretakers to take advantage of the resources available to help them choose and install the right car seat for their child.”
Safety checks are available year-round and typically take 20-30 minutes. Those visits can be conducted at one of Indiana’s many fitting stations, which may be found at on.in.gov/SafeKids.
There are two fitting stations in Seymour. One is at Jackson County New Hope Services, 113 N. Chestnut St. and the other is at Schneck Medical Center, 411 W. Tipton St.
The contact for Jackson County New Hope Services is Lindsay Wyatt who may be reached at 812-314-2243 or [email protected].
Christina Hughes is the contact at Schneck. She may be reached at 812-522-0435 or [email protected].