HENRICO COUNTY, Va. — Henrico Police is stepping up to help families ensure their children's car seats are properly installed, offering a free safety check event this weekend.
The event will take place on Saturday, July 19, at the Walmart off Nine Mile Road from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Certified child safety seat technicians will be available to install or review car seats for parents, caregivers and guardians with young children.
"We know that there are a lot of families that are going on vacation this summer, and so we figured this was a great opportunity for those families to come through a little drive up set up and make sure that those seats are installed correctly," Henrico Police spokesperson Karina Bolster said.
Approximately 46 percent of car seats aren't installed correctly, despite what some parents may think, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.
"We really want to reiterate the importance of making sure you're reading through that car seat manual," Bolster said. "In fact, bring it with you to this event, so that way our technicians can look through it and make sure that they're adhering to the instructions that the manufacturer provided to that to the owner of the car seat. And so really, it's just a matter of making sure you're following those instructions and then just doing a second safety check as well."
The event also provides peace of mind for Henrico officers, many of whom have children themselves and say responding to crashes involving children is one of the toughest parts of their job.
For those unable to attend Saturday's event, Henrico Police offers one-on-one appointments with child safety seat technicians. Interested residents can visit fill out an online form.
Due to high demand, appointments should be scheduled approximately one month in advance.
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