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Car seats have a shelf life a little longer than a can of tomatoes — six years.

But just to be safe, new mom Katie Blackburn-Conway, 38, waited while Safe Kids workers inspected her 1-year-old daughter's car seat for an expiration date Monday at the Road Home shelter in Salt Lake City.

"There's always that little chance you're not doing something right," she said. "I want to make sure."

National Child Passenger Safety Week started Sunday, and Primary Children's Hospital, Salt Lake County and Salt Lake City partnered Monday on a package of services to raise awareness in family-friendly Utah.

To note the week, Salt Lake County released a list of locations where parents can recycle their car seats. At the Road Home homeless shelter in Salt Lake City, 70 families received free car seats. And hospital officials reminded parents to buckle up their kids — even on short trips to and from school.

Primary Children's Hospital Child Advocacy Manager Janet Brooks said parents should register their car seats as soon as families take them home. And keep an eye out for recalls, she said. After about six years, the plastic on most versions can become brittle and prone to shattering in a crash.

At the hospital, "unfortunately, we see the devastation" when children are injured or killed in accidents related to improper car seat use, she said. "It's a simple mistake, a preventable mistake."

Brooks said the reminders are especially important in Utah, because the state has bigger families with long stretches from the oldest to the youngest. And living here typically requires a great deal of driving.

Some second-hand retailers still accept older car seats. For example, Kid to Kid takes used car seats on a store-by-store basis. Some KSL classified ads note expiration dates while others do not. One ad Monday that appears to have been taken down urged potential buyers not to worry about a 2002 car seat and instead advised using it for limited trips in grandma's car.

And Goodwill will not accept car seats because of liability concerns, said Sandra Giltin, an employee at the store in Murray.

To alleviate concerns about car-seat expiration, Safe Kids handed out free car seats and instructed families on how to use them properly.

"We realize that when you're looking for a place to stay and food to eat, safety is not the first concern," said May Romo, program manager at the Safe Kids Salt Lake City Coalition.

But even if families don't have a car, they'll need the car or booster seats in others' cars or on public transit, Romo said.

"We're always in cars," said 27-year-old Michelle Vickers, one mom who picked up a seat for her two-year-old son Liam.

"My sister has one, but it's pink and it's kind of old," she said. "He needs one his size."

Blackburn-Conway moved from Casper, Wyo., in July. She said she felt fortunate for what she saw as a cultural focus on family in Utah, which she said she believed to stem from the LDS religion.

"They're super family-oriented here and they're going to do whatever they can" to help families, she said. "I may not be a Mormon, but by golly, they have some finer points."

Salt Lake County and state health officials are accepting used car seats that are too old to be used safely. The county will send them to be recycled.

Parents and others can drop off the expired seats at a handful of locations in the county.

More information is on the county website, slcohealth.org. Carseat recycling locations:

Salt Lake Valley Transfer Station

502 West 3300 South

Salt Lake City

Murray Fire Station #84

163 East 5900 South

Murray

Salt Lake County Health Department

3690 South Main Street

Salt Lake City

Herriman Fire Station

5916 West 13100 South

Herriman

Riverton City

12891 South Redwood Road

Riverton

West Valley City

Public Works Facility

2805 South 3600 West

West Valley City

Mon-Thurs: 7am-6pm

Trans-Jordan Landfill (NEW)

10873 East Bacchus Way (U-111) South Jordan

Progressive Service Center (Sept. 15-20)

6941 S River Gate Drive Midvale Mon-Fri: 7am-7pm / Sat: 8am-5pm

Pro Polymers

375 East 400 North

Morgan, UT 84050

Mon-Fri: 5 am-3:30 p.m.