PMHD to host car seat clinic

Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District, in partnership with the California Highway Patrol and the Brawley Police Department, Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District will be holding a child car safety program from 7 a.m. to noon on Saturday.

The event will be held at Pioneers Memorial Hospital’s north parking lot, where officers will be on hand to answer questions regarding childseat installation and compliance.

“This is a great opportunity for residents to learn about car safety laws and child passenger safety requirements,” said a PMHD spokesperson. “With this event, Pioneers aims to help protect the community’s most precious cargo as child restraint systems are sometimes used incorrectly.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 46 percent of car and booster seats are misused in a way that could reduce their effectiveness.

Proper installation of car seats in passenger vehicles can reduce risk of death in an accident by 71 percent for infants (aged less than 1 year) and by 54 percent for toddlers (ages 1 to 4).

Additionally, booster-seat use reduces the risk for serious injury by 45 percent for children ages 4 to 8 when compared with seat belt use alone.

—Tom Bodus, tbodus@ivpressonline.com