Most parents and others who transport children think that they know how to properly secure a child or infant in a car seat. But statistics prove, that's not always the case.

Motor-vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children of all ages. When property installed, car seats can reduce the risk of death 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for children ages one to four.

Booster seats have proven to be an important means of protection in the event of an accident too, with research showing that children ages four to seven who ride in booster seats are 59% less likely to be injured in a crash than children restrained by a safety belt alone.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) advises parents and caregivers to properly restrain children on every trip, use the appropriate restraint for a child's age and size, use the rear seat for all children under age 13 and learn how to use restraints correctly.

Be sure to read the booster-seat instructions and your vehicle owner's manual carefully before installing a booster seat.

To help with this effort, Carroll County Farm Bureau Incorporated, in cooperation with Carroll/White County SAFE KIDS organization, is sponsoring a Car Seat Clinic on Aug. 5. A trained, certified technician will check car and booster seats for free from 8 a.m. to 12 noon at Flora Community Park.

At last year's Car Seat Clinic, 52 child car seats were checked. Forty of the seats had some type of misuse and 22 seats were replaced free.

An additional safety measure to be offered that day is child identification cards through IDENT-A-KID. The ID cards have the child's photograph, fingerprint, weight and height, plus the parent's name, address and telephone number. The cards are a laminated, walletsized ID card, similar to a driver's license. There is a minimal cost for the cards.

So spread the work about child safety and how parents and other child caregivers can better protect children. Plan to attend the Car Seat Clinic on Aug. 5.

Misuse of safety equipment is no excuse. It's always better to be safe than sorry with our most precious resource, our children.