| Thursday, August 02, 2012 |
| Public Invited to Free Car Seat Safety Check on August 8 - by Dty. Brennan Matherne, PIO |
| |
 Lafourche Parish Sheriff Craig Webre is inviting the public to get their child car seats inspected at a child passenger safety checkup on Wednesday, August 8 from 8:00 am to 2:00 p.m. at the Walmart store at 4858 Highway 1 in Mathews. The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office is hosting the event along with the South Central Safe Community Partnership. Certified technicians from the Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana State Police Troop C, Houma Police Department and the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Council will check the seats and demonstrate proper step-by-step installation. No violation tickets will be issued at this event.
Sheriff Webre is urging everyone to get their child safety seats inspected. “It’s the responsibility of every single parent and caregiver to ensure their children are safely restrained,” said Sheriff Webre. “When it comes to the safety of children, there is no room for mistakes.” Sheriff Webre also thanked Walmart for use of their parking lot for the event. “We certainly appreciate that Walmart shares our concerns on child safety, and we are hoping many of their patrons will take advantage of this free service as well,” said Sheriff Webre.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 13. In fact, crash data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that two children (aged 12 and below) were killed and 325 were injured each day in 2010.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has established car seat recommendations that advise parents and caregivers to keep their children in their restraint types for as long as possible before moving them to the next type of seat. For maximum safety, everyone should have their car seat installation inspected by a certified Child Passenger Safety technician. It is also important to know that all children aged 12 and under should always ride in the back seat.
Michael Toups, who serves as Regional Child Passenger Safety Coordinator for the South Central Safe Community Partnership, said events like this are designed to inform the public about what’s right and proper when it comes to securing their kids in the car. “The amount of child restraint misuse is alarming. Even the most experienced parents who have been putting seats in their cars for years are unaware and they are doing it wrong no matter how much they think they are right. I can say this because I used to be one of them,” Toups shared.
This event is supported by the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission and the Louisiana Passenger Safety Task Force. For more information, please contact the South Central Safe Community Partnership at (985) 851-2900 or email rudynah@scpdc.org. You may also contact Michael Toups at mtoups@tpcg.org or call (985) 855-6347 or 873-6371. |
|
|
