Free Child Safety Seat Check Saturday

A free event Saturday will aim to help parents make sure their child safety seats are good for the drive home.

As part of National Child Passenger Safety Week, the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office and Suncoast Safe Kids Coalition Sarasota, led by All Children’s Hospital, will hold “Seat Check Saturday” to help parents and caregivers ensure children are in safety seats that fit correctly and are properly installed.

Members of the Sheriff’s Office Traffic Division who became certified child passenger safety technicians this year will provide hands-on instruction on installing car and booster seats from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday at 3825 S. Osprey Ave, Sarasota.

This event is free to the public, but those who are interested should call (941) 861-4076 for an appointment. If you receive a recording leave your name and number and the sheriff's office will call back.

“It’s the responsibility of every adult to make sure children are safely restrained – every trip, every time and at every age,” said Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight in a statement. “When it comes to the safety of a child there is no room for mistakes.”

“Seat Check Saturday” is also being sponsored by Sunset Chevrolet, which will have new vehicles on display to showcase their enhanced safety features.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children ages one to 13. Crash data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that about two children 12 or younger were killed and 325 were injured each day in passenger vehicles in 2010.