Families Receive Free Child Car Seats and Bike Helmets

Nicole Puls learned something new on Friday.

“I learned that I can’t use both the straps through my [child’s] car seat. One is better than having two,” she said.

Puls was one of dozens of families who pulled into the Palm Desert Police Department’s parking lot on Fred Waring Dr. to get a hands-on training regarding their children’s car seats.

“It makes everyone happier,” said Deputy Mark Chlarson, a certified child car seat technician. “[Parents] feel their kids are safer driving away.”

This is the second time this year the police have held this free car seat checkpoint. State grants made it possible for them to give away car seats and bike helmets for free.

Some of the discarded car seats included those with missing manufacturers’ stickers and those in lousy condition. A more common problem families have with their car seats: The seats are not the correct size for their children.

“With car seats, every one of them is going to have a sticker on them. It’s going to tell you the kid’s age and weight for that particular seat,” Dep. Chlarson advised.

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, child safety seats reduce the risk of death in cars by 71% for infants and by more than 50% for toddlers between the ages 1-4.

The free car seats and helmets made it easier on parents’ wallets. For the kids themselves, it was like Christmas in June.

“Like any kid, when you give them a new toy or something to play with,” Chlarson said, “it’s the greatest thing in the world.”