Champaign Police stress car seat safety for summer road trips

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Fourth of July traveling might be over, but summer road trips continue across Central Illinois. The Champaign Police Department is stressing the importance of having properly installed car seats during those trips.

According to the National Highway Safety Administration, 46 percent of car seats are installed incorrectly. Most of the time, it has to do with improper booster seats for a child’s height or weight.

That’s why Champaign Police are reminding parents to make sure their backseats are safe.

“Basically, in general terms, if you have an infant up to one year of age, they should be in an infant car seat rear-facing,” said Sgt. Katherine Thompson. “And then somewhere between one and three years, you switch them over to the other car seat.”

Champaign Police offer scheduled car seat safety checks with certified officers. The Illinois Secretary of State also provides guidelines online .

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