3 On Your Side: Check To See If Your Car Seat Is Installed Properly
By Jim Donovan
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Are your children as safe as they can be when riding in the car? It's a question that federal transportation agencies and safety organizations want parents to focus on this week. 3 On Your Side Consumer Reporter Jim Donovan has a checklist for parents, plus a look at where to get help if they need it.
When small children are belted into their car seats, it's often assumed they are as safe as possible. But 2014 saw more than six millions car seats recalled in the United States for a safety defect and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says fewer than half of those car seats, actually received the repair they needed.
That's a point that NHTSA and other child safety advocates are highlighting this week which they've tagged as "National Child Passenger Safety Week."
They encourage parents to fill out the product registration card that comes with a new car seat. without it, manufacturers may lack the information to get in contact with those parents, when an item is recalled.
In addition to those information cards, parents can also register a car seat online, at the government website, www.safercar.gov/parents. All that's needed is the model number and date of manufacture for a car seat.
Also crucial to keeping small passengers safe is making sure seats are properly installed in the back seat. This week hundreds of clinics are being held across the country with certified child passenger safety technicians to help. But the child safety seat checks are actually a service offered year-round.
To find one near you visit:
New Jersey:
http://www.nj.gov/oag/hts/childseats/childseatchecks.html
Pennsylvania:
http://www.montcopa.org/DocumentCenter/View/3408
http://www.chop.edu/centers-programs/car-seat-safety-kids/event-listing
Delaware:
http://ohs.delaware.gov/carseat2.shtml
Other states: