Data collected from prior seat checks in Washington State, shows nearly a 70% misuse rate of child restraints. It is important to keep your child safe while riding in the vehicle. An important service to help ensure their safety is obtaining a car seat check from a nationally certified child passenger safety (CPS) technician.
A CPS Technician will conduct a one-on-one meeting with you to help you feel confident you are able to install and adjust the child restraint correctly. It is not a pass or fail evaluation of how you are using your seat.
Before the Car Seat Checkup
- Be prepared to learn. The technician is trained to teach you to install and use your car seat properly in your vehicle.
- Know your child’s current weight and height.
- Using the car seat instruction manual and the vehicle owner’s manual, try to install the car seat into your vehicle prior to your appointment.
- Tip! Check the index of your vehicle owner’s manual for “child safety seats”.
- Be sure to bring the car seat instruction manual AND the vehicle owner’s manual with you to your appointment.
- If possible, bring your child with you as well as another caregiver to help while you are learning.
This one-on-one education typically takes 20-30 minutes, depending on your car seat and vehicle. The technician will take all the time you need until you feel comfortable that your car seat is used and installed correctly.