HARLINGEN, Texas – The Valley Baptist Health System with Safe Riders and the RGV CAR Coalition will help parents and children by offering a free car seat inspection station. The event will take place on Saturday, Sept. 21 from 9:00 a.m. to noon in the Boggus Education Pavilion parking lot located at 2110 Benwood Drive in Harlingen.
Valley Baptist Medical Center-Harlingen has offered the free inspections during National Child Passenger Safety Week for more than 15 years. During the inspection event certified inspection technicians will look to make sure car seats are properly installed. Also if a child is using the correct car seat based on their age, height, and weight.
Infants and children two years old or younger should be buckled in a rear-facing seat until they reach weight or height limits for such devices. Once children outgrow rear-facing seats, they should be buckled in forward facing seats until at age 5, or until they reach listed weight or height limits.
Children can then transition to booster seats, and ultimately to seat belts in a vehicle’s back seats once they are approximately 57 inches tall.
According to information from the United States Department of Transportation, nearly half of all car seats are installed incorrectly, which could lead to insufficient protection in the result of an accident.
For more information on this weekend’s inspection event or Valley Baptist-Harlingen’s regular car seat education classes, call (956) 389-6910.
