Drive-Thru Car Seat Checkpoint Helps Families in Need

Shriners Hospitals for Children — Salt Lake City partnered with the Salt Lake County Health Department to offer a drive-thru car seat checkpoint for families in need. As part of Child Passenger Safety Week, the event was an effort to help the public with car seat safety. Certified car seat technicians provided each family with a car seat recall inspection, new car seat for children (depending on need), proper car seat installation and education. The drive-thru car seat checkpoint was stationed in the hospital’s parking lot with physical distancing in place and mask requirements observed.

The latest research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that 60% of car seats are installed incorrectly. It’s no wonder that there is a huge emphasis on educating families in Utah on child passenger safety. Utah has the youngest average age in the U.S., according to 2016 census data. Additionally, the child passenger safety technicians at Shriners Hospitals for Children — Salt Lake City have seen the need for proper car seat installations in the biweekly special needs car seat clinic.

Closing out Child Passenger Safety Week with a bang felt like the right move in partnership with the Salt Lake County Health Department by providing a free community event. The hospital’s certified technicians offered their expertise in car seat safety. Families who were in need of a first or replacement car seat were invited to register for the free car seat check point.

Scott Jerome, MPT, CPSI, called the day a big success. He emphasized that he cannot overstate how important it was to check every aspect of the car seat installation for safety. “That’s where we feel we can make a real difference,” he said. “Having a car seat check point like this, we can make sure they have the proper car seat for that child. We can help make sure that it fits and is installed properly.”

Linsey Miller, injury prevention director at the Salt Lake County Health Department, was also pleased with the results of the partnership. “Partnering with Shriners Hospital has been wonderful,” she said. “It has been great to connect the community to the resources Shriners Hospital provides. This event also helps meet the needs of the community by providing car seats during this very difficult time for families. The Salt Lake County Health Department is proud to be a partner with Shriners Hospital for Child Passenger Safety Week.”

In partnership with the Salt Lake County Health Department, the funding for this critical service comes from the Utah Highway Safety Office.