Child Seat Check

It is very important to have your child's car seat checked by someone who has been trained and certified. The Batavia Fire Department offers this free service to everyone, whether or not you live in Batavia.

Are you doing enough to keep your child safe in the car? Illinois law requires that children younger than 8 years old be seated in an appropriate child restraint, but there is more to the issue. Many factors affect proper selection and use of restraints, and your child is depending on you.

View the photo for personalized car seat information for your child.

Kids in Seat Restraints - Link to The Ultimate Car Seat Guide

Did You Know?

Fast facts from the Partners for Child Passenger Safety (PCPS), Fact and Trend Report, Oct 19, 2005:

  • Eighty percent of crashes take place 20 minutes or less from home
  • Nearly three out of four crashes (73 percent) happen between 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.
  • More than half of crashes occur at speeds less than 45 MPH
  • Only 35 percent of crashes take place at an intersection

The single most important life-saving decision parents can make for their child is to use the rear seat and age- and size-appropriate restraint during every car ride, every time. - Flaura Winston, M.D., Ph.D., principal investigator of the PCPS Children's Hospital/State Farm study.

Make it Safe

Every trip in the car is potentially dangerous, but using the right restraints in the right way can literally prevent injury or death to your child, even in a severe crash. Statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

  • Safety seats are 71% effective in reducing deaths for infants in passenger cars.
  • They are 54% effective in reducing deaths for children ages 1 to 4 in passenger cars.
  • They reduce the need for hospitalization by 69%.
  • Child seats are incorrectly installed at least 8 out of 10 times, although most car seat checks report from 95% to 99% of seats having at least one error.

A trained technician can teach you how to choose and use the correct restraint for your child.