Saturday’s child safety seat checkup at Franklin School in Santa Barbara was a success.

Fifty safety seat inspections were conducted with 35 new seats given away and installed for free. Twenty of the 35 replaced old (some up to 20 years old), recalled or defective seats. There is a real need in the community for safety seat education.

The service does not stop after this one day checkup, sponsored by Santa Barbara County Schools Healthy Start and the California Highway Patrol. The CHP offers the same service at its station at 6465 Calle Real in Goleta. Officials can show parents how to properly install a seat, answer questions or check to see if their seat is on recall. Some seats meeting certain criteria will be replaced and installed for free.

This service is usually offered on Wednesdays, but anyone interested can call anytime to make a safety seat appointment.

Daniel Barba is a public affairs officer for the California Highway Patrol.