CLEARFIELD – The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) and the Pennsylvania Traffic Injury Prevention Project will offer free child passenger safety seat checks Wednesday, Sept. 26, as part of Child Passenger Safety Week.
The event will be held at the PennDOT District Office, located at 70 PennDOT Dr., Clearfield, from 2 p.m. through 6 p.m.
Certified child passenger seat technicians will be on site to help parents and caregivers ensure their child seat is properly installed.
Participants are asked to have their car seat instructions and vehicle owner’s manual with them at the check. Technicians will also distribute literature on Pennsylvania’s child passenger safety law and securing children in the appropriate car seat.
Pennsylvania’s child passenger safety law mandates children younger than four must be properly restrained in an approved child safety seat.
Children younger than two must be secured in a     rear-facing car seat until they outgrow the maximum weight and height limits designated by the manufacturer.
Children ages four through eight must be restrained in an appropriate booster seat and children aged eight or older must wear a seatbelt. Owing to the potential dangers of air bag deployment, children ages 12 and younger should always ride in the back seat.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that nearly half of all car seats are installed incorrectly. NHTSA data also shows correctly installed car seats reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers.
For more information on child passenger safety, visit penndot.gov/safety and www.pakidstravelsafe.org.
For regional traffic updates, follow www.twitter.com/511PAStateCOLL.
