Red Deer RCMP providing free car seat checks Saturday
March is Occupant Restraint awareness month, and Red Deer RCMP and Community Peace Officers are kicking it off with a free public event where parents and caregivers can have car seats inspected or installed by qualified child safety seat inspectors.
This free event runs from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. this Saturday, March 10 at the north Canadian Tire parking lot at 6380 50 Avenue. Donations of diapers, diaper wipes and formula will be accepted on behalf of the Central Alberta Diaper Bank.
“Our goal for this event is to improve child safety, and the best way to do that is to remove barriers that might keep people from properly securing infants and children in vehicles,” says Sergeant Kevin Halwa of the Red Deer RCMP traffic unit. “The event removes a potential barrier by offering car seat checks and installations for free. We’re also creating an opportunity for face to face conversations with trained car seat inspectors and RCMP traffic members – we want to answer the public’s questions and increase awareness that the best way to protect yourself, your family and your passengers is by ensuring everyone buckles up.”
As well as this free event, RCMP will be conducting seatbelt and occupant restraint checks throughout March through targeted campaigns and everyday patrols. According to Alberta Transportation, in 2015, individuals wearing a restraint during a collision had a lower injury rate (6.8%), compared to those who did not use restraints (22.4%) Not only does the likelihood of sustaining an injury decrease with the use of restraints, but so does the severity of the injury.