Keeping safety seats safe

When used correctly, child safety seats are often the difference between major injuries and minor bumps and bruises. However, if they’re not installed correctly or are the incorrect size for a child, they lose effectiveness.
To help parents learn the proper way to install and fit their children in the seats, the Snyder Police Department and other Scurry County first responder agencies partnered with the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) to hold a child safety seat check-up at the county law enforcement center Wednesday afternoon.
During the program, TxDOT technicians inspected safety seats, instructed parents and caregivers on the proper way to install the devices and, in cases where the seats were expired or did not properly fit the children, replaced them for free. 
About 20 safety seats were replaced Wednesday.
Jill Christie, a safety specialist for TxDOT, said the majority of car seats currently in cars were installed incorrectly, which could have dire results in the event of an accident.
“Three out of four car seats are not installed properly or the child is not properly restrained,” Christie said. “Some of the common misuses we see are loose safety seat installation, loose harnesses or the chest clip is in the incorrect position.”
Christie is not placing blame for the errors. Instead, she wants to make sure the errors are corrected.
“The reason we’re here today is to educate parents and caregivers on the correct way to both install the seat and restrain the child in that seat,” she said.
After the seats were inspected, if they were found to be expired or recalled, had been in a crash or didn’t fit the child properly, TxDOT personnel replaced the device for free, Christie said.
“We’re very appreciative of the law enforcement center, sheriff’s office and police department to be able to partner with them to make sure children are safe,” Christie said.