Car seat safety: Wake County offers free checks this week

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that almost 60 percent of car seats are used improperly. Here's where to get your kids' seats checked.

Posted 4:59 p.m. Sep 20, 2016 — Updated 4:59 p.m. Sep 20, 2016

Sarah Lindenfeld Hall

To mark Child Passenger Safety Week, which runs through Saturday, Wake County Human Services and Safe Kids Wake County will offer free car seat checks.

At the events, parents and caregivers will learn how to choose and correctly install car or booster seats for their kids. Every 33 seconds, a child under 13 is involved in a motor vehicle accident, and, too often, children are in car seats that are installed incorrectly or not appropriate for the child's age and size, according to a press release. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that almost 60 percent of car seats are used improperly, the release says.

Here's where you can get the seats checked:

10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday, Wake County Human Services Millbrook Center, 2809 E. Millbrook Road, Raleigh

1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday, Wake County Human Services Public Health Center, 10 Sunnybrook Road, Raleigh

9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Friday, Wake County Human Services Public Health Center, 10 Sunnybrook Road, Raleigh

9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday, Rex Hospital, 4420 Lake Boone Trail, Raleigh

And here are some tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on car seats:

Keep children rear facing as long as possible, up to the top height or weight allowed by their particular seats.
Once a child outgrows the rear-facing-only "infant" car seat, he or she should travel in a rear-facing "convertible" or all-in-one car seat.
Once a child outgrows the rear-facing size limits, the child is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness and tether.
After outgrowing the forward-facing car seats with harness, children should be placed in booster seats until they are the right size to use seat belts safely.

The highway safety administration's SaferCar.gov has more information and tips.

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