The Regional Office of Education #33 has 19 certified child safety technicians to help families understand proper passenger safety for children and stay up to date on all the current laws. 60 to 70% of car seats are installed incorrectly. Installing a car seat correctly is very important for a child’s safety. Preschool Family Educator and Car Seat Technician Proxy Rebecca Petlentler explains how a safety check event works:
“When they come to a car seat check event or even just a one-on-one lesson, we look over the car seat where it is at in the vehicle, how the family has already installed it before they have come to us. We ask the parents or families if they have any questions and then we completely uninstall the car seat and look it over. Sometimes straps can get twisted in the back or underneath, sometimes unbeknown to the family, so we look it over and make sure it is in good condition. We also check the recall list to make sure that nothing has been recalled on the car seat. We go over the car seat with the family and point out anything they might need to know, specifically about straps, where they should be touching on the shoulders with the children depending on the age, height, and weight. Then we go through and reinstall the car seat with the families help, so that they understand how their car seat works and how it fits in their car the best.”
Under Illinois law, all children under the age of eight must be in a car seat that best fits their age, weight, and height, children must be rear facing until the age of two, and children are to ride in the backseat until the age of 13. ROE #33 has two upcoming check events scheduled, April 29th at the Stronghurst Fire Station and May 19th at the Knoxville Fire Station, both from 5 to 7 p.m.
