The Automobile Club of Southern California will host a free child passenger safety education workshop at Saddleback Memorial Care Women’s Center on Saturday, March 12, for parents, expectant parents, grandparents and caregivers of children up to 8 years of age. The interactive workshop provides information on the state’s child passenger safety law, how to choose and install a car seat into a vehicle and information on safety seat recalls.
The workshop also provides participants with take-home resources on where to get car seats checked by local car seat technicians. State law requires that children under age eight must be properly buckled into a car seat or booster in the vehicle’s back seat. The Auto Club supported the law.
The 90-minute workshop, from 9 to 10:30 a.m., will be held in the hospital’s conference level, 24451 Health Center Drive, Laguna Hills 92653.
Properly installed safety seats reduce fatal injury risk by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers. Booster seats increase a child’s chance of surviving a crash by 45 percent, according to the Auto Club.
Unfortunately many parents and caregivers still don’t use car seats correctly and it’s estimated that 3 out of 4 car seats are installed incorrectly. In 2014, California had nearly 9,500 occupant protection violations for children 0-16, according to California Highway Patrol data.
The Auto Club child passenger safety instructor also will discuss AB 53 which will require children under age 2 to be secured in a rear-facing child safety seat, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Previously, only children under age 1 were required to ride rear-facing. The new rear-facing requirement takes effect January 1, 2017.
“California’s children will be safer if parents and caregivers take time to learn how to correctly use child safety seats and use them correctly every time,” said Anita Lorz Villagrana, the Auto Club’s manager of community affairs and traffic safety.
The class is for adults only. No car seat installations in vehicles will take place. Free parking available. Class space is limited and reservations are required. To register, please go to www.AAA.com/childsafety and for more information call the Auto Club’s Community Affairs and Traffic Safety office at (714) 885-2312.