AUBURN – The Androscoggin County Child Passenger Safety Fitting Station will be available from 2 to 6 p.m. Monday, July 12, at the Auburn Police Department.

Certified child passenger safety technicians from the Maine Coalition for SAFEKIDS, the Child Health Center and Central Maine Medical Center will be available to conduct inspections of children’s car seats, making sure that they are being properly used.

The fitting station is a free service sponsored by the Child Health Center, Maine Coalition for SAFEKIDS and the Androscoggin County United Way.

July is one of the busiest driving seasons of the year. Suzanne Cook, statewide coordinator for the Maine Coalition for SAFEKIDS, said, “In Maine, 90 percent of children’s car seats are not being used properly. When correctly installed and fitted, a child safety seat reduces the need for hospitalization in children ages birth to 4 years by 69 percent and it decreases the risk of death by 71 percent in infants and 54 percent in ages 1 to 4.

“However when mistakes are made in the installation of the seat or children are improperly restrained, they are not as protected as they would be if the seat was used correctly.”

Visit the fitting station on July 12 or on the second Monday of every month thereafter. No appointments are needed. For more information, contact the Child Health Center, 782-5437, or the Maine Coalition for SAFE KIDS, 1-800-649-1304.

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