Mackinac County Sheriff's Deputy Dustin Stempki (left) and St. Ignace Police Officer Allen Mitchell show two different models of car seats and a booster seat that the two agencies are offering free to residents. Area residents can receive information and free child safety seats from law enforcement agencies, say representatives from the Mackinac County Sheriff's office and the St. Ignace City Police.

Officer Allen Mitchell in St. Ignace and County Deputy Dustin Stempki are promoting proper use of child safety seats and providing some of the products to county residents free of charge.

With recent changes to child restraint system laws, the two said it is very important that parents and caretakers understand the regulations and use car seats properly.

"Ninety percent of seats are actually improperly installed," Deputy Stempki said. "People need to be sure to read their owners manuals."

Last year, Michigan passed a booster seat law, which went into effect July, 2008, and requires children to be in a booster seat until they are eight years old or 4-feet-nineinches tall. This is in addition to the previous laws for infant and toddler car seats.

As well as reading the owners manual, the officers said parents should keep in mind that rear-facing infant car seats should never be placed near an air bag. They also discourage the use of used seats, since most seats have an expiration date of six years from production and there is no way of telling if a used seat was involved in a crash, which compromises its effectiveness.

Brochures on the use of child safety seats are available at the Mackinac County Sheriff's office in St. Ignace.

Anyone in need of a car seat may contact these police agencies. The two agencies will hold a car seat distribution event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. September 9, as well.

More information about car safety for children can be found at www.michigansafekids.org, or by contacting the Mackinac County Sheriff or St. Ignace City Police. Recall lists for car seats can be found at www.recalls.gov.