MCSO Traffic Safety Officer

September 19, 2013

Marshall County - The Marshall County Sheriff's office announces today that they are participating in National Child Passenger Safety Week. The goal is to make sure all parents and caregivers are correctly securing all children in the right car restraint (rear-facing car seat, forward-facing car seat, booster seat or seat belt) for their ages and sizes.

According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):

• Car crashes are a leading cause of death for children 1 to 13 years old.
• In 2011, over one third of children killed in car crashes were not in car seats or wearing seat belts.

Research has shown that use of child safety seats reduce the likelihood of an infant being killed by 71 percent and a toddler by 54 percent in a car, and 58 percent and 59 percent for infants and toddlers in SUVs, pickups and vans. This means you can more than double a child's chances of surviving a crash by properly securing a child in a vehicle. What parent or caregiver would not want to do something so simple to protect the life of a child?

The Marshall County Sheriff's Office and Marshalltown Police Department will be joining forces with Marshalltown Hy-Vee to host a FREE Child Safety Seat Check-Up Event this Saturday, September 21st from 2:00-6:00 PM at the Marshalltown Hy-Vee. This is part of the National Seat Check Saturday campaign. Certified Technicians will be on hand to offer free hands-on inspections and installations, replacements of expired or damaged child safety seats, or just to answer general child passenger safety questions. Parents or caregivers are encouraged to stop by and have their child seats checked by a technician.

There will be a limited number of free replacement seats available for those who have damaged or expired seats, or who have financial limitations preventing the purchase of proper child safety seats. To qualify for a free seat, the children must be present in the vehicle and the seat must be installed by a Technician in that vehicle. There will be popcorn and educational materials provided to parents and children at this event.

If you cannot make the event but need assistance with a child safety seat installation or replacement contact the Marshalltown Police Communications Center at 641-754-5725 and they can put you in touch with one of the five Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians in the Sheriff's Office or Police Department.

Any further questions can be addressed to MCSO Traffic Safety Officer, Deputy Ben Veren, at 641-754-6380 or bveren@co.marshall.ia.us.

About Marshall County Sheriff's Office
The Marshall County, Iowa Sheriff's Office is headed up by Sheriff Ted G. Kamatchus. Sheriff Kamatchus is committed to keeping communities and neighborhoods safe in Marshall County.

For additional information or a sample copy, contact:
Deputy Ben Veren
Marshall County Sheriff's Office
641-754-6380
Fax 641-754-6325
Sheriff@co.marshall.ia.us
www.marshallcountysheriff.com

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