North Dakota, Get Car Seats Checked For Free On Saturday

A shout out to us old farts that have never sat in a car seat. Shoot we barely wore seat belts, and when we did they sure didn't have shoulder straps! Just a strap across your lap that was sure to cut you in two upon impact. Mostly, we kids just slept in the back window to ensure we could achieve maximum missile potential.

What we did have were big steel fenders!

We also played lawn darts cuz we weren't scared..

These days for the more safety-oriented parents/grandparents/guardians there are legally required car seats. So many different car seats! Many different sizes and many configurations. Newer vehicles also have built-in anchors to more efficiently harness the car seats. I've wrestled with plenty of car seats and like you, sometimes I'm not sure I'm doing it right.

This Saturday is National Seat Check Saturday a great time to join the Bismarck-Mandan Safety Council's Child Passenger Safety Committee for the 4th Annual Seat Check Saturday at Puklich Chevrolet from 9 to noon. No appointment is necessary.

After conducting a number of these safety checks, they've found that 4 out of 5 car seats are being misused. Common problems include-

The seat not being installed correctly
Incorrect placement of straps
The headrest is either too high or too low.

It seems kids under the age of 13 should always be riding in the backseat while you chauffer them around town. Did you know that children under the age of 8 are required to ride in a child restraint be it a car seat or booster?