26 kids safer, thanks to car-seat donation in DuPage

The start of the new year brought a treat to 26 DuPage County families - free child car seats, courtesy of the sheriff's office and AAA.

The seats were distributed Monday morning by sheriff's deputies, with the help of other law enforcement officers. The officers showed recipients how to properly install the seats, and then had them practice doing so on their own.

"The real value to this is the educational component," Sheriff James Mendrick said.

That's not to discount the actual value of the EvenFlo SureRide convertible seats, which sell for about $99 at stores such as Walmart, Target and JCPenney.

"If we can make 26 families driving around safer this holiday season that just ended, all the better," Mendrick said.

Recipients were screened ahead of time for eligibility by a social worker. But anybody could attend the free car-seat check Monday afternoon.