Protect your child - have your car seat checked

Moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, sitters - anyone who transports children in car seats - will want to attend the free Child Car Seat Clinic planned Saturday morning in Flora.

A car seat that is not installed properly or is not the right size for the child will not offer the best protection in case of a crash. That's the reason Carroll County Farm Bureau Inc. initiated the clinic three years ago.

A key to car seat safety is finding a car seat that matches your vehicle and your child. If you can't easily install the car seat so that there is less than one inch of wiggle at the belt path, find a new car seat.

Car seats come with an expiration date, usually five or six years. Secondhand car seats should never be used if the crash history or recall history is unknown.

Often children can make messes in their car seats, but always check the instructions or call the manufacturer for help before cleaning. Buckles and other moving parts can be damaged by soaking or rough cleaning and straps wet down with cleaning products may not react the way they are supposed to.

Car seat accessories may claim that they meet all federal car seat safety standards, but federal standards only govern the car seats and latch system. Car seat safety experts say toy bars, neck rolls, fabric covers, seat belt ratchets and other after-market accessories should not be used. In other words, if it did not come with the car seat, don't use it.

A lot of car seat advice is outdated and dangerous. The best place to get correct information is from a trained qualified source - a certified child passenger safety technician. That source will be available from 8 a.m. to 12 noon Saturday at Flora Community Park. Helping Farm Bureau sponsor the event is the Carroll/ White County SAFE KIDS Organization.

If you transport children in car seats, take a few minutes Saturday and let an expert check and see if they are as safe and protected as they should be.