The Berrien County Health Department is teaming up with the Berrien County Sheriff’s Department for the new Buckle Up Berrien initiative, seeking to improve the safety of child passengers.
Health department family programs manager Miranda Bronicki Dopp tells us many parents are sure they have their child’s safety seat properly installed, but there are a lot of things to get wrong.
“So this can be as simple as the harness straps not being on the right level, being too high or too low,” Bronicki Dopp said. “And that’s again why we really want to make sure that people are connecting to a car seat tech. Car seats are complicated enough.”
The health department is inviting parents of young children to the first Buckle Up Berrien event, which will be November 18 from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Niles Fire Department. Child safety seat technicians will be there to look at each setup because Bronicki Dopp says such checks have to be done on a case-by-case basis.
“To make sure to be checking their car seat’s expiration date, the height and weight limits for their particular car seat, and following those recommendations.”
Bronicki Dopp says under state law, children must be secured in the vehicle until they reach a height of four-foot-nine. And there are additional state rules that apply. The technicians on hand at the November 18 event will be able explain.
Appointments for the event can be made online now. You can learn more right here.
