ST. JOSEPH, MO – Keeping kids in Northwest Missouri safe on our roads is the goal of a free car seat check scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 24, in the Lowe’s parking lot at 3901 N. Belt Highway in St. Joseph. Certified child passenger technicians from the St. Joseph Safety and Health Council, the Missouri Department of Transportation, St. Joseph Police Department, Heartland Regional Medical Center and the Missouri State Highway Patrol will assist parents and caregivers on proper car seat installation and usage.

National Seat Check Saturday is Sept. 24. Seat Check Saturday concludes the week-long Child Passenger Safety Week campaign from Sept. 18-24, which includes education on proper safety seat installation and use, as well as increased law enforcement cracking down on Missouri’s child safety seat law violators.

Car crashes are the number one killer of children. Last year, 10 children under eight years of age were killed and 1,770 were injured as occupants in motor vehicle crashes in Missouri. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, three out of four safety seats are improperly installed. The NHTSA says that more than 9,300 children have been saved by the use of child restraints.

Missouri law requires all children under eight to be in a child safety or booster seat until they are 80 pounds or 4’9″ tall. With the variety of makes and models of car seats on the market, many parents are confused on how to properly install the seats.

For more information, visit http://www.savemolives.com/child-passengers.html