If your family were in a car wreck tomorrow, would your child be protected?
Car crashes are the No. 1 cause of injuries among children. Car seats can greatly reduce the chances of serious injury, but simply owning a car sear isn’t enough. Most car seats—about two in three—are installed incorrectly, placing the child at risk.
Promoting public safety, especially on the streets, is an important part of the City of Victoria Municipal Court’s mission. That’s why we’ve partnered with the Victoria Police Department and the Victoria Fire Department to create the City’s car seat safety program. Our certified car seat technicians will show you how to properly install your car seat according to the safety standards for your specific seat and vehicle.
You may think you already know how to install a car seat, especially if you’ve been using them for years. However, we inspect as many as 40-50 seats at our events, and typically, only a few—or none at all—are installed correctly. We strongly encourage all caregivers to take advantage of this free service that will help you protect your child.
We are still working to raise awareness of this new program, including what it is and isn’t. We sometimes receive calls from residents who mistakenly believe that we offer free car seats. The purpose of the program is not to distribute car seats but to educate residents about how to use them properly.
Sign up for an inspection
We aim to host two free inspection events per year—usually at the Victoria Community Center, but we’ve also hosted events at the Victoria Housing Authority and the Children’s Discovery Museum of the Golden Crescent.
In addition to these larger events, we also provide individual inspections throughout the year—again, at no cost. To schedule an inspection, visit www.victoriatx.gov/carseat.
Get certified
We are planning to host a training event next year to certify more car seat technicians and recertify some of our employees. We plan to work with local agencies to allow their employees to attend the training. If you are part of an organization that works with children and families, becoming certified may help you to better serve your clients.
Please contact me at ttotah@victoriatx.gov or 361-485-3069 if you are interested in this program.
Partner with the court
We are always seeking new ways to partner with community groups for education and outreach. Last month, we hosted our first Community Resource Fair, featuring about 20 organizations. In addition to providing information for residents, different groups were able to get to know each other and learn about where to refer our own clients for additional help.
If you’d like to partner with us for an event, please contact us at www.victoriatx.gov/courtoutreach. For car seat inspections, we are especially looking for locations with large driveways and plenty of space for cars.
Tiffany Totah is the City of Victoria Municipal Court administrator.