Ninety-five percent of Peoria area car seats are incorrectly installed. That's according to The Children's Hospital of Illinois. And, that's why hospital employees and volunteers are inspecting car seats for area residents free of charge on Saturday.

It's a family affair here at Green Chevrolet Hummer in Peoria.
Lindsay Arndt has her car, her mother's car and her husband's car here for the Children car seat safety check.

"Motor Vehicle crashes are the number one cause of death and injury to children right now, so we want to make sure these child passenger safety seats are properly installed," Program Coordinator Kristan Creek says.

That's why first time Mom Linsday Arndt isn't taking any chances. No matter whose car seat her six-week-old son Nicholas is riding in, she wants to make sure its safe.

"My husband takes him places. I take him places. My mom will be taking him places when she starts to babysit for him so I just thought it would be great for all three of us to come out," Lindsay says.

Arndt's mother Rhonda Barth says she wishes she had something like this when her kids were babies.

"You just read the manual and put them in and you just prayed that you had them in correctly," Rhonda says.

Volunteer Saundi Pugh says families like the Arndt's need to pay special attention when strapping in the little ones as the weather begins to get colder.

"Also- as the winter months come up you want to make sure your strapping them in before you wrap them up. So putting them in a light fleece jacket or something like that. Maybe having a car blanket or putting their coat on backwards while they're in the car seat so you know that they harnesses are tight and flat against them," Pugh says.

Organizers say having a car seat correctly installed can reduce child deaths in car crashes by up to 70 percent.

If you missed Saturday''s car seat check, you can go to State Farm in Peoria on the second Tuesday of the month or to Pekin's fire station every third Thursday.