Parents in the Austin area will soon be able to rest easy in knowing that their children are a little bit safer. At least, those who take advantage of the free car seat fitting initiative taking place at the Steiner Ranch Fire State will be able to after February 10.
According to The Statesman, the Hudson Bend Fire Department will be hosting a free car seat clinic at the Steiner Ranch Fire Station located at 3048 Steiner Ranch Boulevard. The clinic is made possible through a partnership between the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, Texas in Motion and the Austin-Travis County EMS, with the intention of educating parents and caregivers on how to properly install child passenger safety seats. Inspections will also be conducted for free, though an appointment needs to be made in order to obtain an inspection.
The free car seat inspection clinic will start at 10:00 a.m. on February 10 and will continue until 1:00 p.m. Those who are interested in obtaining a free inspection can call (512) 854-3248 or (512) 854-7786 to set up an appointment.
Research has shown time and time again that the improper use of child passenger restraints – or the failure to use restrains at all – can lead to serious injury or death. In most cases, these restraint devices are installed incorrectly simply because the caregiver does not how to properly install the car seats, boosters and other devices that are meant to keep children safe. In fact, consider these facts:
· 80% of child restraints are used incorrectly (NHTSA)
· Nearly 1/3 of children use restraints that are wrong for their age and size (National SAFE KIDS Campaign)
· Children who are inappropriately restrained are almost 3½ times as likely to be seriously injured than those who are properly restrained (National SAFE KIDS Campaign)
· Car seats reduce the risk of death by 54% for children between the ages of 1 and 4 and by 71% for infants (National SAFE KIDS Campaign)
· Approximately 88% of children who are killed by passenger air bags were either improperly restrained or were not restrained at all (National SAFE KIDS Campaign)
· Only 19% of children who should be restrained in a booster seat actually are (National SAFE KIDS Campaign)
To those who live in Steiner Ranch, the fact that this free clinic is being brought to the community is no surprise. The Steiner Ranch has long been regarded as a close-knit community that places an emphasis on the safety of its residents and its children. Events such as this child restraint clinic are a common sight throughout the community as members and government officials regularly band together to provide valuable services to those living in Steiner Ranch and the surrounding area.
For more information about this event of about child passenger safety in general, contact Deputy Kimberly Orts at (51) 854-3428.