September is National Car Seat Safety Month, and our friends at AAA Central Penn remind you to get your car seats checked at any of their free events next month.
Fall and back-to-school season is a great time to hit ‘refresh,’ and one way you can do that is to re-check that your child’s car seats are correctly and safely installed.
Did you know? 4 out of 5 car seats are installed incorrectly!
Luckily, your local AAA Central Penn is offering FREE car seat safety checks throughout September to ensure that your children are riding safely.
Car seat checks are FREE, and you don’t even need to be a AAA member to take advantage.
(Though I would recommend it — you can still save 20% off your new membership with code: SARA21 through September).
Reserve your appointment online or by calling AAA Central Penn 1-800-717-4222.
AAA Central Penn Car Seat Safety Checks
- Wednesday, Sept. 8 at AAA Carlisle
- Friday, Sept. 17 at AAA Centerville
- Wednesday, Sept. 22 at AAA Camp Hill
- Wednesday, Sept. 22 at Walmart Gettysburg
- Monday, Sept. 27 at AAA Harrisburg
I signed up for the Camp Hill event on Sept. 22, and I’m eager to ensure car seat safety for my growing kiddo!
All events are 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., except Gettysburg, which is 4-6 p.m.; 30-min time slots available. Your child does not need to be present. Spaces are limited, so sign-up today to have your child’s car seat installed properly or adjusted to fit your growing child.
For more child passenger safety tips, I checked in with PennDOT, who offers some statistics here. One quick positive takeaway stat: 82% of children under age 4 in Pennsylvania sustained no injury during a crash where they were restrained in a car seat.*
*Source: 2017 Pennsylvania Crash Facts and Statistics
Car Seat Safety Process
- Find the right car seat. This link can help.
- Install your car seat correctly. See above events for help!
- Register your car seat
The Law in Pennsylvania
Child passenger safety laws vary from state to state, so it’s important you are familiar with the laws here in Pennsylvania.
- Birth-2 Years: Must be secured in a rear-facing car seat until the child outgrows the maximum weight and height limits designated by the car seat manufacturer.
- Birth-4 Years: Must be properly restrained in an approved child safety seat anywhere in the vehicle.
- 4-8 Years: Must be restrained in an appropriate booster seat.
- 8 Years and Older: Must be in a seat belt.
