The Imperial County Public Health Department’s Child Passenger Safety Seat Program is teaming up with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the Calexico Police Department, Direct Auto Plaza and Calexico Robinson Ford this year to observe Child Passenger Safety Week (Feb. 11-17th.)



While 98 percent of America’s infants and 93 percent of children ages 1 to 3 are regularly restrained, not enough children ages 4 through 7 are restrained properly for their size and age. Only 10 to 20 percent of children ages 4 through 7 who should be using booster seats to protect them are actually in them. According to a study by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), children ages 4 to 8 who are placed in booster seats are 59 percent less likely to be injured in a car crash than children who are restrained only by a seat belt.
In Imperial County, Child Passenger Safety Week activities will consist of child safety seat clinics in partnership with local agencies and car dealerships. The purpose for the clinics is to assure that car seats are properly installed in vehicles. Staff will also check to see if the current car seat being used is on the recall list or if it’s the correct car seat for the child’s height and weight. The clinics will be held on Wednesday, February 14th from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm at El Centro’s Direct Auto Plaza located at 2351 S. 4th Street, El Centro and on Thursday, February 15th at Calexico’s Robinson Ford located at 1777 N. Imperial Avenue from 9 am to 1:00 pm.

For more information about Child Passenger Safety Week and the Imperial County Public Health Department’s Child Safety Seat Program please contact José Contreras, Program Coordinator at (760) 482-4954 or at josecontreras@imperialcounty.ne