The Pilot Club of Milledgeville will holds its 10th annual Car Seat Safety Check from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Friday at the Milledgeville Mall.

“Every year the check has grown and we’ve given the check a name this year,” Pilot club member Patti Rushin said, “From Birth to Booster.”

Rushin said the idea for the safety check came when about two club members witnessed an auto accident involving a baby who was not properly restrained and was thrown to the floor of the car. The baby survived but the incident sparked a desire to make sure that as many children as possible are properly restrained in car seats.

“Everybody who checks car seats Friday will be a certified checker,” Rushin said. “The child will be weighed, measured, and that will help determine what kind of seat and what configuration for restraint works best.”

Car seat checkers undergo a week-long training class to learn how to properly install seats as well as determine what size seats should be used for each child. This year at the check, a class that trained in Milledgeville will take part as the culminating task in their training and will observe and assist as certified trainers properly fit and restrain child car seats.

“The checkers get a workout from going in and out of cars all day long,” Rushin said. “They should really be commended for what they are doing.”

This year, three certified Milledgeville police officers will help conduct the check while the class of checkers includes another police officer and three Baldwin County firefighters.

“This task takes the participation of the whole club,” Rushin said. “We try to make it an enjoyable experience for the parent or caregiver and the child. No one will leave the check in an unsafe car seat.”

The Pilot Club will replace damaged or improper car seats at no cost to parents or caregivers.

In addition to the safety check, the Pilot Club also champions other causes in the community. The club gives a bicycle helmet to all kindergarten students in Baldwin County each year and sponsors Project LifeSaver, which provides the placement of tracking bracelets on people who may suffer dementia and are prone to wander. The club also encourages and provides interaction with Alzheimer’s patients in nursing homes and senior facilities.

The Car Seat Safety Check is made possible through fundraising efforts by the Pilot Club throughout the year including the annual lighting of the Christmas tree on the front lawn of the old Baldwin County Courthouse.

“When people light-a-light, they are helping to make things like the car seat safety check happen,” Rushin said. “The money that the community gives us — we give it right back. We sincerely hope that anyone who is a caregiver will come out and have their seat checked.”

For more information about the Car Seat Safety Check, e-mail Rushin at prushin@milledgevillega.us or call her at (478) 457-5337.