According to Mayo Clinic Health System, vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among children in the United States, and 75 percent of car seats are improperly installed. Mayo Clinic Health System and Chippewa Valley Technical College are partnering to offer free car seat inspections March 14 and April 11 from 4-7pm at the Emergency Services Education Center, 3623 Campus Road, Eau Claire. The entire process is conducted by a certified car seat technician and takes about 30 minutes. Car seats will be checked for proper size, installation, and recall status. Registration is not required. For more information call (715) 838-3180 or visit mayoclinichealthsystem.org.

To keep your little ones safe on the road, keep in mind these best practices for installing car seats

➜ Straps should be snug with no slack to pinch.
➜ If you don’t need to loosen the harness in order to take your child out of the seat, the straps are too loose.
➜ The chest clip should be in line with the armpits.
➜ Remove bulky coats before buckling. You can always slip the coat on backwards over the straps once everything is in place.