The new year is bringing changes to child car seat checkups in the Bismarck-Mandan area. These free checkups are available for parents and other caregivers and are offered in a climate-controlled area at Puklich Chevrolet in Bismarck.
The Bismarck Mandan Safety Council would like to share what’s new in 2024 with the Bismarck checkups.
- The appointments will now be taken through an online link rather than by phone. To make an appointment, visit https://tinyurl.com/3zyuek3a and choose a date and time to attend a checkup.
- Checkups are offered monthly during weekdays, with rotating times each month.
- For those who cannot attend a car seat checkup appointment during weekdays, car seat checkups will also be offered on specific Saturdays in February, September and November 2024.
- To see the Bismarck car seat checkup schedule, visit https://tinyurl.com/3zyuek3a.
During 2023, 72% of the caregivers who received help at car seat checkups in North Dakota had some form of incorrect use with their seat. Most errors were related to harness misuse and installation of the car seat.
Certified child passenger safety technicians check car seats for recalls and correct installation to ensure a car seat is appropriate to the age, weight, and height of the child. They also check that a child is secured in the car seat correctly and that the car seat meets federal safety standards. They teach caregivers how to correctly use a child’s car seat or seat belt.
In the Bismarck area, there are approximately 50 certified child passenger technicians. The technicians who volunteer at the checkups come from a variety of agencies including public health, state agencies, the dealership, law enforcement, and hospitals.
Parents and caregivers who live outside the Bismarck-Mandan region can locate car seat checkup sites in North Dakota by visiting the child passenger safety resource map at hhs.nd.gov/NDCPSA or calling the HHS Child Passenger Safety Program at (701) 328-4533, 711 (TTY).