Waterville - September is kids car seat safety awareness month and the folks at Central Maine Motors are making sure kids are safely buckled.

Wednesday morning, they hosted their monthly car seat checkup.

Nurses from local hospitals were on-hand to inspect car seats for defects and answer any questions people might have.

The staff also gives expecting parents a demonstration to make sure they're buckling their kids in properly.

Some of the most common things they see at the inspections are parents using car seats that are expired and parents who switch their kids to front facing car seats too soon. "Most people don't realize that kids should be rear facing for an extended period of time," said Sarah Dewitt, a Registered Nurse and Child Passenger Safety Technician. "A lot of people are in a hurry to forward face their child because it's more convenient. They think the child is more comfortable."

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children should be rear facing for the first two years or until they weigh 35-40 pounds.

People can have their car seats checked the first Wednesday of the month at Central Maine Motors on Kennedy Memorial Drive in Waterville from 10:00-1:00.

Print this Story