Spet. 19, 2012 — The California Highway Patrol (CHP) will observe National Child Passenger Safety Week through Saturday, Sept. 22 by conducting child safety seat events throughout the state.

During these events, CHP personnel will assist the public by demonstrating the proper way to install an infant or child’s safety seat and will perform safety inspections for all children in the vehicle who are required to be in a safety seat or a seat belt.

“Children depend on adults to keep them safe. For this reason, we are committed to providing parents in communities throughout the state with this free service to help ensure their child’s safety on the road,” said CHP commissioner Joe Farrow.

Hundreds of children are killed or injured every year in California as a result of safety seats that are improperly fastened by parents or caretakers. The most recent annual statistics show 18 of 25 children under the age of 8 who were killed in a collision were not properly restrained, and 467 children under the age of 8 were injured.

California’s new child passenger safety seat law, which went into effect Jan. 1, requires children to ride in the back seat of a vehicle, in either a car seat or booster seat, until the age of eight, or until they are 4 feet 9 inches in height.

“Our goal as a traffic safety agency is to ensure every person, regardless of age, is safe on the road,” said Farrow. “The first step in making that a reality is for every person in the vehicle to buckle up, every time.”

Parents are invited to call their local CHP area office to make an appointment with a child safety seat technician for a free car seat inspection.