This article originally appeared on wtvr.com
Nearly 2 million Virginians will hit the roads for Thanksgiving, part of the 73 million Americans expected to travel during the holiday. Both numbers are up from last year, making preparation more important than ever before starting your engines.
The Richmond Ambulance Authority, Drive Smart Virginia, and AAA hosted a Thanksgiving safety fair on Wednesday to help families prepare for safe travel. The event at the Forest Hill Target focused on protecting the most valuable cargo: children.
CBS 6 spoke with Veronica Ruffin from the Richmond Ambulance Authority and Shannon, who changed her grandson’s car seat after the event, about the importance of taking car seat safety seriously.
“Look at your car manual. Some cars still dictate where car seats should be. Look in the back seat of your car. Not the set up. Notice the seat belts, how they run, and then go and purchase your seat by going to look at the different types of seats,” Ruffin said. “A lot of people tend to buy bigger, bulkier, heavy seats that don’t fit right in the car because the one thing, car seats are made, but they’re not made for every car.”
Shannon emphasized the importance of staying informed about safety updates.
“I would say don’t be passive about it. I mean cars have changed, car seats have changed, you know, the research that they’ve done and we got to make sure our kids are safe,” Shannon said.
If you missed the event, there’s another one being held at the Walmart along Sheila Lane in Richmond from 3 to 5 p.m. on Thursday.
