Free Car Seat Checkup

For a celebratory kick-off to National Child Passenger Safety Week, Mercy Medical Center Redding will be teaming up with the California Highway Patrol to offer a free car seat checkup event

Qualified staff will inspect car seats to ensure that each child seat is properly installed in the vehicle and that the seat adequately fits the child. The free event will be held Saturday, September 17^th from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Wal-Mart parking lot located at 1515 Dana Drive in Redding. There will also be free car seats available for those who qualify.

National Child Passenger Safety Week runs from September 18 through September 24, and this event is being offered in partnership with Mercy Medical Center Redding, the CHP, and Shasta County Public Health. According to local law enforcement, up to 3 out of 4 car seats are currently being used incorrectly. Car crashes are the leading death for children ages 1 through 13, and many of these deaths could be prevented through the proper use of car seats, booster seats, and seat belts. According to Amber Bey, with Mercy Medical Center Redding’s Trauma Injury Prevention Program, “Getting safety and car seat information and instructions to both parents and caretakers is crucial to saving young lives. They are the first line of defense in ensuring our most valued passengers.”

Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also shows that among children 4 to 8 years old, evidence proves reduced injury and risk when a child is restrained in a child safety seat instead of a lap belt alone.

In California, all passengers 8 years old and younger must use a child safety seat or booster, and they must ride in the back seat of the car when safe to do so. If a child is 8 years old and older and over 4’9” tall or taller, they may wear a seatbelt; however, children 8 years old and younger that are less than 4’9” tall must still use a child safety seat. Effective January 1, 2017, children under 2 years old must use a rear-facing child safety seat, unless they weigh at least 40 pounds or are 40 inches or taller. 

The free car seat check-up event will be held Saturday, September 17^th from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Wal-Mart parking lot located at 1515 Dana Drive in Redding. The program is made possible by the generous support from donors to Mercy Foundation North.