State health officials will host free car seat check events across South Carolina during Child Passenger Safety Week, Sept. 20 through 26, giving parents and caregivers a chance to have safety seats inspected by certified technicians at no cost.
More than 60% of car seats inspected by Child Passenger Safety technicians in South Carolina in the past year were installed or used incorrectly, according to a 2025 national digital check-form database referenced by state public health officials. Correctly used child safety seats can reduce the risk of fatal injury by 71% among infants and 54% among toddlers, and booster seats reduce the risk of nonfatal injuries by 45% among children ages 4 to 8, according to figures attributed to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Motor vehicle crashes remain a leading cause of death for children and teenagers in the United States. Kevin Poore, director of Safe Kids South Carolina, is coordinating the statewide effort.
Scheduled events include check stations in the Midlands: Thursday, Sept. 24 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the Child Development Center at Shaw Air Force Base, 320 Laurel Court; Saturday, Sept. 26 from 10 a.m. to noon at Jones Chevrolet, 1260 Broad St. in Sumter; and Saturday, Sept. 26 from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department Training Center, 521 Gibson Road in Lexington. Additional Child Passenger Safety Week check events are scheduled in the Lowcountry earlier in the week, including Sept. 21 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Summey Library in North Charleston, and Sept. 22 events at Wando Library in Mount Pleasant and Bluffton Fire Station 38 in Beaufort County. A full list of participating sites, dates and times is posted by state public health.
The Child Passenger Safety Program in South Carolina dates to 1995 and is supported by a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration grant administered by the state Department of Public Safety. Many inspection stations statewide require an appointment, and residents can search for a certified technician near them through the state public health program’s inspection-station locator. Having a car seat checked is always free. Parents and caregivers who cannot attend a scheduled Sept. 20-26 event can request an inspection at other times through the year-round program.
