HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — On Thursday, the Tampa City Council may pave the way for the Tampa Police Department to enhance its car seat safety program.
Leaders are considering moving around grant money that TPD will use to bring on more certified technicians to help families install car seats properly.
According to TPD, 65% of car seats that officers find are installed incorrectly — that could be a matter of life or death for a child in a car accident.
“I witnessed a crash where the vehicle overturned and rolled with a 3-day-old baby in a car seat that was properly installed, and the baby was completely fine," Corporal Jamie Lynn Monte explained. "If that car seat wouldn’t have been properly installed, I can't even imagine the tragedy that they would go through.”
It's a tragedy no parent wants to imagine, but Monte said it can be prevented by ensuring your child's car seat is properly installed.
Monte is one of 14 people at TPD certified to install car seats. In order to get the certification, you go through a 40-hour class where you learn the ins and outs of car seats.
“That's the biggest thing is the safety of those kids. Even the smallest injury could hurt them; it could be detrimental,” Monte said.
If the city council gives them the green light, the Tampa Police Department will be able to move some grant money they already have to get more people certified to install the car seats.
It will also allow them to give out more free car seats to people who qualify.
Monte explained as Tampa’s population continues to grow, the need for more people to be certified to help families is also growing.
“We want someone to be available so they don't have to drive away with their kid not properly installed in a car seat. If we have somebody there, we’d be able to check the car seat, get it properly installed. That way, when they leave, they're safe on the road," Monte said.
Click here for more information on how to get TPD to check or install your car seat.
Click here for resources across the Tampa Bay area.
