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Baton Rouge – This Saturday, September 24, 2022, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., the Louisiana State Police will participate in National Seat Check Saturday by partnering with the Louisiana Passenger Safety Task Force and local agencies to provide free child passenger safety seat checks throughout the state. Seat checks will be conducted by nationally certified child passenger safety technicians who will provide hands-on child safety seat inspections and answer questions at no charge.

Booster seats are an essential step between car seats and seat belts. With this in mind, free booster seats will be distributed at each location while supplies last. To qualify for one of these booster seats, the child must be at least four years old and weigh at least 50 pounds. Also, the vehicle and child must be present to ensure proper fit.

Car seats and booster seats save lives. These devices offer the best protection for children in the event of a crash. It’s estimated over 11,600 lives of children under 5 have been saved since 1975 because of child restraint use according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

Unfortunately, the majority of children are in a safety seat that is the wrong size/type or is improperly installed. It is important caregivers ensure children are properly restrained in an appropriate child safety seat, booster seat, or seat belt anytime they are traveling in a vehicle.

Here are the Louisiana locations for National Seat Check Saturday:

• Baton Rouge area: LCMC Outpatient Clinic, 9001 Summa Blvd., Baton Rouge
• New Orleans area: Target-Clearview, 4500 Veterans Blvd., Metairie
• Houma area: Terrebonne Civic Center, 346 Civic Center Blvd., Houma
• Lake Charles area: Southwest Beverage, 3860 Broad St., Lake Charles
• Alexandria area: Rapides Regional, 211 Fourth St., Alexandria
• Monroe area: Banner Ford, 6300 Frontage Rd., Monroe
• Shreveport area: Caddo Sheriff’s Safety Town, 8910 Jewella Ave., Shreveport
• Lafayette area: Crowley Rice Arena, 159 Cherokee Dr., Crowley
• Covington area: LeBlanc Pediatrics, 319 St. Tyler St., Covington

Every Louisiana State Police troop location is recognized by the NHTSA as a child safety seat inspection station. Individuals who are not able to attend this event are encouraged to contact their nearest State Police troop location to schedule a free car seat inspection. Contact information is available on our website, www.lsp.org.

Seat Check Saturday marks the culmination of National Child Passenger Safety Week, an annual safety campaign coordinated by the NHTSA.

Support for these events is provided by the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission and University Medical Center in New Orleans.