This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The importance of properly fitting child car seats was emphasized Monday at The Road Home as part of National Child Passenger Safety Week, which runs through Saturday.
Car seats were presented to those in need while representatives of the Salt Lake County Health Department and the county's Safe Kids Coalition provided educational materials about the best ways to keep children safe in vehicles. Children also were encouraged to play games that taught safety rules.
"Like other children, homeless children have basic transportation needs to physicians, schools, etc.," said Health Department spokeswoman Pamela Davenport. "The risk of injury or needless death is high for the children who do not use car seats. "
All this week, she added, Safe Kids also is collecting expired and no-longer-usable car seats for recycling. Cars seats may be dropped off during business hours this week at Progressive Service Center, 6941 S. River Gate Drive (850 West), in Midvale.
Other dropoff points are at:
• Salt Lake County Health Department, 3690 S. Main St.
• Herriman Fire Station, 5916 W. 13100 South.
• Riverton City Hall, 12891 So. Redwood Road.
• West Valley City public works facility, 2805 S. 3600 West.
• Trans-Jordan Landfill, 10873 S. Bacchus Way (State Road 111) 6941 S River Gate Drive.
Another coalition partner, Murray-based ProPolymers, Inc., has a recycling plant at 375 E. 400 North in Morgan, where the seats will be sorted, baled and shipped to the East Coast to be remolded into construction piping.
Since February, Davenport said, more than 1,000 cars seats have been collected in Salt Lake County for recycling.
Mike Gorrell