Illinois Tollway and Police host 2nd Kids Identification and Safety Seat in Bartlett as part of Operation Kid 2022
July 23 event is at Bartlett Police Department
Continuing with Operation Kid 2022, the Illinois Tollway and Illinois State Police District 15 are hosting their second Kids Identification and Safety Seat (K.I.S.S.) event of the summer on Saturday, July 23 at the Bartlett Police Department.
The Tollway and District 15 have worked together to promote child safety for more than 15 years, holding popular events annually throughout Northern Illinois to provide free kids’ ID cards and inspect and install child safety seats. In 2019, Operation Kid helped families and caregivers with about 375 child safety seats checks and issued more than 850 kids’ ID cards to parents.
The events were paused in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, but resumed in June with the first of four monthly outdoor events the Tollway and ISP District 15 will host across the Chicago area this summer.
At the June 4 event at Kohl Children’s Museum in Glenview, 70 kids’ ID cards were issued to parents and more than a dozen child safety seats inspected or properly installed. The July 23 event will run from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Bartlett Police Department, 228 S. Main St., Bartlett.
“Safety is our top priority and we’re thrilled to once again be offering this vital safety program that helps parents protect their children when they’re out on the road or out in their communities,” said Interim Executive Director Lanyea Griffin. “We’re pleased by the response we had to our first K.I.S.S. event and are inviting families to come out to our July event to take a few simple steps that will help keep kids safe and parents worry-free, every trip, every time.”
Illinois law requires that all children under age 8 must be properly secured in an appropriate child restraint system when riding in a vehicle with family or other caregivers. In addition, as of January 1, 2019, children under age 2 years are required by Illinois law to ride rear-facing, unless the child weighs 40 or more pounds or is 40 or more inches tall, to protect their developing muscles and bones.
Properly installed child safety seats save lives and significantly reduce injuries in the event of a crash. Yet, Illinois State Police find that as many as 90 percent of child safety seats they inspect are improperly installed.
“K.I.S.S. events are all about protecting our children,” said Captain Jason Bradley, District 15 commander. “These events offer a convenient way for parents and caregivers to learn if their child safety seats are installed correctly and allow us to educate drivers about the importance of complying with Illinois’ safety seat laws.”
2022 K.I.S.S. Events
To make it easy and fun for parents, grandparents and children alike, K.I.S.S. events are held at convenient locations at various locations along the 294-mile Illinois Tollway system.
Highlights at the July 23 event in Bartlett include:
- Free identification cards for children ages 3 and older and child safety seat inspections and installations
- Touch-a-truck display featuring hands-on exploration of a Tollway H.E.L.P. truck, snowplow and local emergency vehicles.
- Trooper Cooper, a talking, child-sized Illinois State Police car that offers simple safety tips to toddlers and young children
- Kids indoor and outdoor play areas.
Remaining K.I.S.S. events are on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
August 27 Children’s Museum in Oak Lawn (Families attending receive voucher for one
free admission)
September 24 Family Safety Fair at Itasca Fire Protection District
For more information about Operation Kid 2022 and to see additional activities at each event, visit the Tollway’s website.
About the Illinois Tollway
The Illinois Tollway is a user-fee system that receives no state or federal funds for maintenance and operations. The agency maintains and operates 294 miles of roadways in 12 counties in Northern Illinois, including the Reagan Memorial Tollway (I-88), the Veterans Memorial Tollway (I-355), the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90), the Tri-State Tollway (I-94/I-294/I-80) and the Illinois Route 390 Tollway.
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Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
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