Starting July 14, parents can receive a lesson in the proper way to secure a child in a car seat. South Bay Family YMCA in Chula Vista is offering a free seat belt checkup.
“At least 90 percent of the car seats that I’ve checked, there has been one thing wrong with them. Even if it is the simplest thing, there has been one thing wrong,” said Travis Hoberecht, community education coordinator for the American Medical Response.
Hoberecht has been running the free clinics for two years. He said most of the errors are small, such as using the seat belt instead of the buckles provided by the manufacturer. He recommended reading the manual for the car seat and the car's manual before installing a new car seat. He said seats that have been installed should be rechecked each time the child is placed in the seat, to ensure the connections remain secure.
According to data put out by the National Transportation Safety Administration, seven out of 10 children are not properly restrained in their car seat. Using a car seat correctly can increase a child’s chances of surviving an accident by 70 percent.
The checkup is being run in conjunction with Chula Vista Firefighters Local 2180. It will from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the YMCA at 1201 Paseo Magda in Chula Vista. Other sessions are scheduled for Aug. 11, Oct. 13, Jan. 12, and April 12.
