SOLANA BEACH — About a dozen people took advantage of free car seat inspections held Aug. 25 at La Colonia Park during Child Passenger Safety Day.
As part of the San
Diego County Sheriff’s Department’s Partners in Passenger Safety program, local law enforcement agencies, prevention specialists and the San Diego Pacific Safety Council were on hand to help raise awareness on child passenger safety.
Eight people attended a free class, hosted from 8 to 10 a.m. by the Pacific Safety Council, for parents from low-income and refugee families.
After the training safety technicians installed free car seats for attendees.
Inspections and safety displays continued until 1 p.m. for the general public. Inspectors demonstrated the correct way to put on a harness and explained how to adjust car seats as children grow.
According to the Pacific Safety Council class, car crashes are the leading cause of death for children between the ages of 3 and 16.
California law requires that a rear-facing safety seat or booster be properly secured in the back seat until a child is at least 6 years old or weighs 60 pounds.
It is recommended that children younger than 13 ride in the back seat.
The class also helped parents choose the best seat and offered tips on how to keep children in the car seat.
Heather Clark, a crime prevention specialist with the Sheriff’s Department, said harnesses that are too loose and seats that are angled incorrectly are the most frequent errors she sees during inspections.
Clark said about 20 inspections were conducted as most families had more than one seat.
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