Missouri City News

Missouri City Kicks Off Child Safety Seat Campaign / 90% of Child Car Seats are Used Incorrectly

It's the most precious cargo... your children. An amazing 90-percent of child safety seats holding those children are used incorrectly, according to safety experts.

A new car safety seat program is now underway at the Missouri City Police Department that's intended to help parents properly install their child's car safety seat. The program also informs them about child seat laws and other safety precautions.

"Many parents are not aware of the proper way to install a child safety seat, even after reading the instructions," according to Missouri City Police Officer H. "Sonny" McClamrock. "The program is designed to ensure that children are properly restrained to keep them safe from injury in the event of an accident and to ensure parents know when they need to change the size of the car seat as the children grow. Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death and serious injury for children over one year of age. When used correctly, a safety seat can save your child's life."

Texas law requires all children must ride in a safety seat until their fifth birthday or until they are 36 inches tall. All children younger than 17 years of age must be buckled up. Everyone in the front seat, regardless of age, must wear a seat belt.

Safety seat demonstrations are available on the first and third Thursdays of every month from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Public Safety Headquarters, located at 3849 Cartwright Road. If you would like to make an appointment, call 281-403-8736 or 281-403-8700. The program is open to all Fort Bend County residents and is a cooperative initiative with Missouri City, Sugar Land, Texas Children's Hospital and Fort Bend County.

Also see: Texas Children's Hospital tips on keeping children safe - Child Safety Seats