Free child car safety checks

It’s National Child Passenger Safety Week and Singing River Health System is hosting free child car seat safety inspections. News 25’s Taylor Rubach shows us the proper way to install the seat, which could save your child’s life.
It’s the littlest mistake that could cost you your child’s life. “I’m grateful. She’s everything to us. We want to make sure she’s doing the best possible.”
Bethany Alvarado took advantage of Singing River Health System’s free car seat safety check to make sure her daughter, Savannah, is safe during every car ride. “I couldn’t get the seat to secure and I was like well, if there’s someone that knows better than me then I might as well go see and see what I can do to make her safer.”
Lori Weimer, director of Women’s and Children’s Services at Singing River, says since every four out of five parents do not know how to properly install car seats, they’re doing their part to make sure these kids are good to go. “We check your car seats, make sure they’re not expired, that they have all the parts, that you know how to properly buckle the child in the car and that the car is properly buckled in the vehicle.”
According to Safe Kids Worldwide, Mississippi is leading the U.S.in the percentage of child fatalities in motor vehicle crashes due to improper restraints, a statistic Weimer says needs to change. “They should be in the middle of the car in the back, rear-facing until two-years-old. You want to be sure they are properly buckled, that the harness is clipped across the armpit line, that the straps are only about two fingers away from the child. They shouldn’t be too loose or too tight. Want to be sure the seat is properly installed in the car, either using a latch or the seat belt.”
If you’re unsure on how to properly buckle your child’s car seat visit safekids.org.