IDOT holding free car seat safety check events Saturday

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Illinois Department of Transportation is holding 93 free car seat check events in Illinois on Seat Check Saturday, September 23. Certified child passenger safety technicians will be educating parents on eight mistakes that are frequently made when installing and using car seats. These range from moving children out of one seat too soon to having loose items in the car, which could be dangerous to passengers in a crash.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), most parents are confident they have correctly installed their child's car seat. However, in most cases, the seat was installed incorrectly 59 percent of the time. Additionally, about 26 percent of children 4 to 7 were moved to seat belts too soon, when they should have been riding in booster seats.

On Seat Check Saturday, car seat technicians will be helping parents understand and correct these eight mistakes most frequently made when installing and using car seats:

1. Turning the child forward-facing too soon

2. Not adjusting the harness snugly against the child

3. Not securing the car seat in the vehicle properly

4. Forgetting to register the car seat for recall notifications

5. Having toys or other items unsecured in the vehicle

6. Not using the lower anchors/LATCH system as approved

7. Not using the top tether on a forward-facing car seat

8. Moving to the next car seat or booster seat too soon

A listing of all free car seat check events throughout Illinois can be found at www.buckleupillinois.org.

Cars.com has compiled a list of the best car seats on the market. Find the list HERE.