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Car Seat Safety Clinic

Make sure your little one is safe and sound in your car by taking the Sipes Body & Glass car seat clinic.

As part of Sipes commitment to the community, the team decided to help keep our children safe by teaching the proper use of car seats. Sipes works with Ascension St. Vincent Dunn Hospital and Riley Pediatric Techs to ensure car seats are fitted and installed properly.

New car seats are given away for free at the clinic. If a car seat isn’t the right fit or if a child needs one, they are provided at no cost. In 2019, 26 car seats were given away to community members. St. Vincent Dunn Hospital was awarded a state grant so car seats could be provided.

Why a Car Seat Clinic?

I started the event at Sipes because of an experience with my friend. She had a new baby and we installed the car seat for her. Later on, I got news she was in a bad car accident with the child. My first thought was, "Is that car seat installed properly?" Thank goodness it was. I reached out to the nurses at Dunn Hospital to partner with Sipes to insure the safety of the children of Lawrence County.
Kelly kimple sipes body and paint inc Bedford Indiana
Kelli Kemple
Manager

Every 32 seconds in 2018, one child under 13 was involved in a passenger vehicle crash. No parent ever wants to get it wrong when it comes to a child’s safety. Parents: Don’t think you know that your kids are secure in their car seats, and are in the right seats for their ages and sizes. Motor vehicle crashes are a leading killer of children, and the latest research from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that nearly half (46%) of car seats are misused.

How It Works

Parents and caregivers in Lawrence County can ask questions and receive hands-on instruction from certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians. They will instruct on how to choose, correctly install, and use car seats and booster seats. The technicians will be available to teach parents and caregivers how to choose the right car seat for a child’s age and size, how to correctly install the seat in their vehicle, and how to use the seat correctly. They will also discuss the importance of registering car seats in case of a recall. 

Fingerprinting, Firefighters and Door Prizes

The Bedford Police Department attends the event and provides fingerprinting for children. In case of a child being abducted, this information will aid in locating and identifying the child faster. Bedford Police officers Morgan Lee and Brian Turpen were at the 2021 event to fingerprint children.

The Bedford Fire Department attends to teach the children fire safety. At the 2021 event, children got to take a seat on the fire engines and learn about the various equipment firefighters use to battle fires.

Children attending the event are able to win door prizes. In 2021, participants earned a free entry for a bike/tricycle to be given away at a drawing every hour. A total of 10 bikes and tricycles were available, thanks to Hubler Chevrolet Indy.

Car Seat Basics

NHTSA recommends keeping children rear-facing, up to the defined height and weight allowed by the specific car seat. Once a child outgrows the rear-facing car seat, he or she is ready to travel in a forward-facing car seat with a harness and tether. After outgrowing the forward-facing car seat, a child should be placed in a booster seat until tall enough to fit in a seat belt properly. The safest place for all kids under 13 is in the back seat.

Thanks 2021 Sponsors

We would like to thank the following sponsors for their donations that enabled the 2021 event to be a success: Hubler Chevrolet Indy, Sharp Parts, Painter Supply, Mikels Signs and Bedford City Councilman Larry Hardman.

Past baby car seat clinic essentials included:

  • Installation
  • Education
  • New Car Seats
  • Police Fingerprinting
  • Storybooks
  • Eye Screening
  • Fire Engines
  • Door Prizes
  • Free Breakfast

Get in touch with us today to learn more. We respond to calls or emails on the same business day.