Philadelphia parents better at installing kid car seats than rest of state

Inspections by the State Police show that parents in the Philadelphia area are better at installing kids car seats than in the rest of Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania State Police Spokesman Jack Lewis says more than three-quarters of the seats checked during a seatbelt enforcement campaign were installed incorrectly. The numbers were better in the Philadelphia region.

“They found 22 safety seats were improperly installed 18 were properly installed, a higher percent than we found statewide,” said Lewis.

Lewis says state police are ready to help parents who can’t figure out how to install the seats properly.

  • WHYY thanks our sponsors — become a WHYY sponsor

“The best thing to do is make an appointment with your local state police station to have our people take a look at the installation of your child safety seat,” said Lewis. “Our people are more than willing to set up an appointment have you come on in take a look at your seat and give you direction on how to properly install that seat.”

Nationally 1,300 children under 14 are killed each year in car crashes. The US Department of Transportation estimates properly installed kid seats save 425 lives a year.

WHYY is your source for fact-based, in-depth journalism and information. As a nonprofit organization, we rely on financial support from readers like you. Please give today.

Want a digest of WHYY’s programs, events & stories? Sign up for our weekly newsletter.

Together we can reach 100% of WHYY’s fiscal year goal