Over 30 families receive free booster seats for children

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Over 30 families received booster seats for children on Wednesday, some received multiple.

These were free, thanks to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Passenger Safety and Kidsafe Initiatives and a partnership with the Brazos County Extension and TxDOT. The event was held at Bethel Lutheran Church on Wednesday. Each seat given away was approved by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Event attendees learned how to properly put the car seats in the vehicle and secure the child in the seat. Booster seats are required for children under 8 years old and shorter than 4′9″. But, this is a common step that gets skipped, sending kids directly to the vehicle seat.

Ana Castrejon, the AgriLife Kid Safe Program Coordinator, says this step is vital for children.

“If the child is not properly secured in the vehicle, then that means the seatbelt is not going right over their hips and it’s going, probably at their tummy and so in an impact, it’s actually going to crush, go right through the stomach and can even paralyze them,” she said.

The Kid Safe Initiative will inspect car seats and booster seats. Contact ana.castrejon@ag.tamu.edu for assistance.

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