The Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) is offering a car seat safety check to keep children safe while traveling in vehicles.
Two social workers affiliated with the sheriff's office are certified to inspect and assist with car seat installation, according to KOB 4.
"We're gonna go through the make and manual for that particular car seat – the manual for your car," Tara Kasten, one of BCSO's certified social workers, said. "We'll check your child's weight and height as well as any other safety things that we need to keep in mind, in terms of, like, placement in the vehicle and whether it's a car versus a truck."
Numbers from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) showed that car crashes are a leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 13, KOB 4 reported. Though car seats and booster seats are designed to provide protection for infants and children, approximately 46% of those seats are used incorrectly.
BCSO deputies have witnessed what can happen when car seats are not properly fastened, restrained, or installed, according to KOB 4.
"We've seen various crashes over the years in traffic, and the car seat is a huge factor in mitigating injury," Deputy Sheriff Greg Grundhoffer said. "I'm not going to say that they’ll leave totally unscathed, but [injuries will be] less severe."
Morgan Bryant, a traffic investigation deputy, spoke about the issue as well.
"This is gonna be one of those things; I've seen a lot of times parents don't like to tighten this enough typically because the child is upset about it," he said. "It feels too tight for the child but it's necessary for the safety."
Proper installation can be complicated and done improperly, KOB 4 reported.
"To have someone who has been trained in all that and sit there with you and go through it and explain what it looks like, how to install it, if it's correct, if it's the right fit for your kid, if it's for the right age, and just go through all of that and see if the seat fits in your car, all of that can be overwhelming," social worker Samantha Groves said.
People who want to take advantage of the BCSO's safety check must schedule an appointment on the office's website.