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Event Will Evaluate Car Seats

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By LISA A. DAVIS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: November 7, 2007

NEW PORT RICHEY - Even if your children are riding in a car seat, they might not be completely safe.

The fact is, four out of five cars seats aren't properly installed, according to information from All Children's Specialty Care of Pasco.

Concerned? Here's your chance to get a free seat check.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration technicians certified in child passenger safety will do inspections from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Thursday at the All Children's outpatient center, 4443 Rowan Road. The Pasco County Sheriff's Office and the hospital's Florida Suncoast Safe Kids Coalition also are sponsoring the event.

Appointments are strongly recommended; call (727) 834-5403 and provide the age and weight for each child younger than 8.

Bring children in their current seats and allow at least 20 to 30 minutes for each seat checked. Be prepared to purchase a replacement restraint at cost if the current one is unsafe. No seats will be given away.

Also, provide the vehicle owner's manual and child restraint instructions to the technician.

If Thursday isn't convenient, the Florida Highway Patrol also has a certified child seat technician. Contact Trooper Reginald Edwards at (813) 632-6859, Ext. 329, or edwards. reginald@fhp.hsmv.state.fl.us to schedule an appointment. The trooper also can determine whether you qualify to buy a seat on a discount.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that parents always use a safety seat, beginning with a baby's first ride home from the hospital. Never place a child in a rear-facing seat in the front of a vehicle that has a passenger airbag.

Children younger than 13 are safest in the back seat.

Plus, parents should be role models and wear their seat belt so youngsters will make it a habit to buckle up.

Of course, in Florida these suggestions aren't just good sense; they're the law. Children 3 and younger must be restrained in a separate car seat. To read the statute, go to www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes and search for "child restraint requirements."

For a complete guide on child restraints, go to the American Academy of Pediatrics Web site: www.aap.org/ family/carseatguide.htm. For the highway safety administration's ratings on child seat ease of use, go to www.nhtsa.gov/CPS/CSSRating/.

Reporter Lisa A. Davis can be reached at (727) 815-1083 or ldavis@tampatrib.com.

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