Safe Kids in Grand Forks and the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety is coming to Crookston to offer a Free Car Seat Checkup at Tri-Valley Head Start on Monday, May 13, from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
This event is free! And open to the public to attend no registration will be required. Families with young children are encouraged to attend and have their car seats examined by car seat technicians from the Minnesota Office of Traffic.
Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety Child Passenger Safety Liaison of Northern Minnesota Jasmine Wangen gave her comments regarding the event. “Anybody can attend, whether your car seat is brand new or in the box and you’re not sure how to use it,” said Wangen, “Whether you’ve taken your car seat apart and cleaned it and now have all these pieces that you’re not sure how to put back together, or maybe you’ve read the owner’s manual cover to cover and want that car seat technician to double check your work for you.”
Families will be encouraged to bring their young children to the event so the technicians can evaluate and determine if the children are fit to be safely placed in the car seat. Parents will also receive information about car seat installment and correct use of the seat. Wangen listed some examples of car seat procedures. “If you’re using lower anchors to install your forward-facing car seat, a tether needs to be used also,” said Wangen, “Lower anchors have weight limits to them, too. We’ll go over those things and the next steps with you; we’ll double-check your car seat to make sure it is not expired.”
If those who attend bring car seats that are not appropriate for their child to use by age, size, or damage, the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety representatives will direct you to their grant applications in which families could possibly receive new car seats suitable for their children. “If you need to purchase a new car seat, our grant opportunity is just a short application to fill out,” said Wangen, “This just asks a few questions for grand funding and tracking purposes.”
The State of Minnesota has studies shown that four out of five car seats are used incorrectly. There are many factors and moving pieces that parents may not recognize when checking on their child’s car seats, and Wangen explained that this event could be a great opportunity to make sure your child is safe and secure when traveling. “We always encourage people to come and double-check,” said Wangen, “Make sure you are keeping those kids as safe as possible in the car, even if you’ve come to a car seat check-up in the past. Kids grow, and safety standards change, and we’ll make sure you are up to date on those things.”
