DENVER — If you have a child in a car seat, you may not be using it correctly.
At least 78% of car seats inspected by safety technicians last year in Colorado were not installed properly, according to the Child Passenger Safety Board. Those 2023 numbers were actually higher than 2022 when the misuse rate was at 70%.
So this week, Car Seats Colorado is making sure your child is safe when they ride.
Free car seat inspections are being offered at these times and locations:
Thursday, Sept. 19
- 8-10 a.m. at Aztlan Recreation Center
4435 Navajo St., Denver, CO 80211 - 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Sloan's Lake Park Playground North
4410 W. 26th Ave., Denver, CO 80212
Saturday, Sept. 21
- 8-10 a.m. at Garfield Lake Park
3600 W. Mississippi Ave., Denver, CO 80219 - 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Ruby Hill Park
1200 W. Florida Ave., Denver, CO 80223
Colorado State Patrol (CSP) and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) are teaming up to provide free car seat safety inspections. It's all part of an effort to protect the safety of Colorado's youngest passengers.
When you drive up, technicians will check that your car seats have been installed correctly and are adjusted to the child properly.
Trooper Kent Trimbach said some of the most common mistakes are transitioning children out of booster seats too early. Another common is harnesses that are too loose.
"We want parents to be active, and to read their manuals, to make sure that their child is the correct height, weight for that car seat," he said. "We want to make sure that they’re knowledgeable enough that they can put that car seat in correctly as well as buckle their child in correctly."
Trimbach said almost every inspection he's had, there's at least one misuse of the car seat that parents are surprised to find out about.
"They feel like they’re doing it the right way, they read those manuals and not only do you have to read the manual for the car seat, but you have to read the manual for the vehicle because the vehicle has certain stipulations on car seats, also," he said.
"You might not be able to put it in the center seat in the back. You might not be able to use the latch position in there, and there’s different ways to put it in. You could put it in using latch or seat belt, so I think parents are really surprised when I tell them these couple things are incorrect and they could’ve affected your child if you were in a crash."
If you can't make it to the inspection events this week, you can also sign up for an appointment online to get a car seat safety check.
WeeCycle is a Colorado nonprofit that collects new and gently used baby gear, including car seats, and matches it to families throughout the state.
If you have a car seat you'd like to donate, they have collection events at their warehouse on Tuesdays from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. and Thursdays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. They're located in Aurora at 20 South Havana St., Suite 210. Any car seat not safe for distribution will be recycled.