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Southington Police to Offer Free Child Safety Seat Checkups at Healthy Family FunFest

January 09, 2019

Most parents and caregivers use child safety seats for their young passengers.

But did you know that only one in five seats is installed correctly?

Child safety seats can reduce death due to a car accident by as much as 71 percent and prevent injury but only if they are used correctly, according to Safe Kids Connecticut.

How is a parent to know?

To ensure the safety of the youngest citizens, Southington police officers will be providing free checks of the installation of car seats at the 2019 Healthy Family FunFest, on Sunday, Feb. 24, 10:30 am to 3 pm, at the Aqua Turf Club, 556 Mulberry St., in the Plantsville section of Southington.

Police officers who are certified Child Passenger Safety technicians will inspect vehicles near the Wagon Room (far left) portico. The technicians will verify that there are no recalls on the particular child seat, show parents how to properly install the seats and how to fit the restraint system to their child, according to Officer Chad Butler, Southington Police Department community relations officer and Child Passenger Safety technician. To streamline the inspection, police said it is helpful to have the area behind the seat easy to access without having to clean it out at the event. Educational information will also be available.

Connecticut law requires that all children should be transported in the appropriate child restraint device until they reach age 8 and 60 pounds. Children should ride in the back seat until they are 13 years old.

Healthy Family FunFest’s premiere sponsor is the Bradley H. Barnes & Leila U. Barnes Memorial Trust at Main Street Community Foundation and the team player sponsor is the Dental Group of Meriden-Wallingford. The event is presented by Hartford HealthCare and the Southington Community YMCA.

For more information on the 2019 Healthy Family FunFest, click here or call 860.378.1268.