Free child car seat inspections offered

The state Office of Traffic Safety is urging parents to attend one of a number of clinics next week to ensure their child car seats are properly installed.

According to the state Office of Traffic Safety, it's part of a national, weeklong effort to ensure that child car seats are not only properly installed but used by parents and other caregivers.

In Carson City, technicians will be available at the Ron Wood Family Resource Center at 212 East Winnie Lane on Tuesday. A spokesman at the center urged parents to call ahead for an appointment to make sure a technician is available when they arrive. The phone number at the center is

884-2269.

Traci Pearl, traffic safety administrator, said infants should be in the back seat in rear-facing seats until at least 1 year old and 20 or more pounds. After that, children should ride in forward-facing safety seats until they reach the upper weight and height limit of the seat - about 4 years old and 40 pounds.

After that, she said children should ride in booster seats in the back seat of the car until the vehicle seat belts fit properly.

Traffic safety officials recommend all children younger than 13 ride in the back seat.