Marine Corps Base Quantico -- The Parent Advisory Board for Child Development Center North hosted their first free child car seat safety checks in coordination with Sgt. James L. Thacker III, Fire Station 531 car seat technician, in an effort to promote safety for children aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico.

Approximately 20 visitors took advantage of the safety checks to ensure their children’s car seats complied with federal regulations and provided the best protection for a child in transit. Some vehicles with up to three car seats benefited from professional inspection.

Thacker found that many child car seats were simply too loose. He explained that manufacturers are creating larger seats to effectively carry children up to age 5.

“Parents should research before purchasing a seat. Look for crash tests and ratings,” he continued. “I checked a Marine’s vehicle today with a recalled seat. Because she registered her seat, the manufacture was able to contact her directly to update the defective part. She did all the right things and it really paid off.”

Once completed, Evan Kreamer, a spouse from Marine Corps Intelligence Activity, loaded her one-year-old into his car seat. She finds that she must tighten each seat monthly after installing the seats more than a year ago,

“Having a professional check my vehicle is helpful,” she said. “Proper installation is important. There are so many different car seat models, and often the manufactures aren’t clear with instructions for setting up seats in different vehicles.”

Thacker shared the importance of checking car seats before long road trips and when adjusting for a child’s comfort. He urges parents to call for an appointment or stop by the fire station to have seats checked after instillation.

For more information about scheduled events at the CDC or meetings email Stefany Grieco, chair of the Parent Advisory Board at parentadvisoryboard@usmc-mccs.org.

— Writer: iirby@quanticosentryonline.com