Did you know motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death and injury for all children? (AAA Safe Seats 4 Kids) September 17-23 is Child Passenger Safety Week, so stop and answer the following three questions. Is your child safely secured in your car or truck? Is your child in the correct child passenger safety seat? Do you know how to properly attach your child’s passenger safety seat to your vehicle? If you cannot absolutely answer “yes” to these three questions, your child may not be as safe as you think in your car or truck. After an accident is NOT the time to find this out.

Where can you go to get the answer to all these questions? You can go to the permanent checking station at EMS Base One at 114 Bethany Road in Albemarle the 1st Thursday of the month from 10am-2pm and the 3rd Thursday of the month from 2pm-6pm (except holidays). There, trained technicians will teach you how to properly install a child passenger safety seat or learn if you are using the correct one for your child. This will take less than 30 minutes to do – a short period of time to protect your child from harm.

Safe Kids Stanly County volunteers will be at several elementary schools this month during dismissal time to hand-out educational materials and offer information to caregivers. Learn more about when to use rear-facing car seats (infants), forward facing car seat with harness (toddlers & preschoolers) and booster seats (school-age children). Child passenger safety seat checks will not be available at this activity. However, folks will be directed to the permanent checking station.

Your children are counting on you to keep them safe from harm. Take time and be sure your child is safely riding in your car or truck. For more information about the Permanent Checking Station, call Iggy Austin, Stanly County Buckle Up Coordinator at 704-983-8625, ext. 241.