Did you know that seventy-three percent of car seats are not used or installed correctly? Each year, an estimated 975 child occupants under 14 years of age die as a result of a motor vehicle incident. Correctly used child safety seats can reduce the risk of death by as much as 71 percent! Before you hit the road, let Beaufort County EMS check your car seat! Beaufort County EMS, working in partnership with the Kiwanis Club of Beaufort and Low Country Safe Kids, are offering free car seat inspections on Saturday, October 17th in Beaufort from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. They will be in the parking lot of Beaufort Town Center near the Bilo on Boundary Street.

Parents are invited to drive into the parking lot with their children secured in their vehicle as usual, then a team of Child Passenger Safety Technicians from Beaufort County EMS and Low Country Safe Kids can look over the car seat, how it is installed in that car, and check for any manufacturer recalls on that specific seat.

“Some of the newer vehicles have different styles of seat belts, and that has contributed to some of the confusion parents have faced when attempting to secure their children in correctly,” said Jennifer Calcorzi, Paramedic and Senior Car Seat Technician with Beaufort County EMS.

“If parents drive up without a car seat or bring their children to the inspection improperly restrained, there will certainly be no violation or fine. We just want to educate the public on how to keep their children safe at every stage of development.” Calcorzi said.

EMS is one of the first agencies to respond to the scene of an automobile crash where injuries are suspected. They have seen the tragic results of improperly restrained car seats. Research conducted by the Safe Kids Worldwide Organization says motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children.