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Crime & Safety

Keeping Kids Safe: Grayslake Slates Child-Safety Event

Car seat checks, finger printing and bike safety all on schedule for Sept. 24.

The will host a child car seat safety event Saturday, Sept. 24 as part of National Seat Check Saturday.

Certified child passenger safety technicians will be on hand to help install new car seats and check seats that are already in use.

Community Service Officer Karin Shepherd of the has trained extensively on installing car seats correctly and inspecting each seat to make sure children's measurements are appropriate with the seats in which they are riding.

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Shepherd said it is important to remember that each car and each seat is different and may require different harness or latch systems to secure properly.

Shepherd often sees seats that are positioned wrong in the car, that are too loose or that are too small or too large to fit the child appropriately.

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“If a seat belt isn’t positioned correctly it can cause serious injury or death,” Shepherd said. “This isn’t just us installing the car seats for the parents; this is about educating them on the right seats, the right belts and how to get them in and out correctly."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration suggests keeping your child in a car seat for as long as possible, as long as your child fits the seat’s height and weight requirements.

New guidelines also suggest a child remains rear-facing until age 2.

“A lot of parents let their kids go to the booster seat too young, or just skip the booster seat altogether and let them ride on the regular seat before they are ready,” Shepherd said of her goal in educating those parents on how to keep their kids the safest.

The Car Seat Safety Check is scheduled from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 24 in the Grayslake Municipal Parking Lot at the east side of Seymour Avenue, across from Village Hall. There is no charge for the event.

Parents will be able to get a photo identification and fingerprinting card for their children.

Grayslake police officers also will be on hand to discuss bicycle safety and teach children the basic rules in riding.

You can find other car seat safety locations scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 24, by clicking here.

If you cannot make the event but would like your seats checked, Officer Shepherd is available at the from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Select firefighters with the Grayslake Fire Department also are certified car seat safety technicians.

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