Parents invited to child safety seat checkpoint

Parents and caregivers of young children are invited to a child passenger safety seat checkpoint Wednesday at Fire Station 12 in Sunridge.

The event is co-sponsored by the Douglas County Sheriff's Office and Carson City's Women, Infants and Children program.

For a $45 donation, parents can obtain a new safety car seat appropriate for their child's size and have it installed by trained technicians.

Capt. Mike Biaggini who has administered the safety seat program with a federal Office of Traffic Safety grant since 2000, said no one is turned away if they can't afford a seat.

Technicians also will inspect if car seats are properly installed and make any adjustments. The Carson Valley Kiwanis Club assists with the checkpoint.

Biaggini discouraged parents from purchasing used seats at garage sales or even from friends or acquaintances.

"The No. 1 reason is that you don't know the history of that seat, you don't know if it's been recalled or been in an accident," he said.

Biaggini said parents should replace seats that are six years old because the webbing in the belt and the plastic in the seat starts to wear out.

"You never know when it's going to get to the breaking point," he said. "If you're involved in a crash, do away with the child's seat even if it looks OK."

Seats also break down under Nevada's extreme hot and cold temperatures.

The program is financed through a Nevada Office of Traffic Safety grant from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Biaggini said Nevada law mandates that children under age 6 or weighing less than 60 pounds be restrained in safety seats.

He said parents should use safety restraint seats until a child weighs 80 pounds or is at least 4 feet, 9 inches tall.

"A child who is too small for a shoulder-lap belt system can slip out from underneath the belt and end up on the floorboard in an accident," he said. "Even though they're safe from the law, they're not safe from the environment."

Parents are not fined at the checkpoint for improper seats or noncompliance with the law.

"There is no enforcement action," he said. "This is strictly a safety situation. Our goal is to make sure the child leaves safer than when they came in."

Information is available in English and Spanish.