Free Kids ID Cards and Safety Seat Check in Alsip on Saturday, May 21

The Illinois Tollway and Illinois State Police District 15 are teaming up to offer nearly a dozen free Kids Identification and Safety Seat (K.I.S.S.) events throughout Northern Illinois this summer to help keep children safe and parents worry-free.

The 2016 K.I.S.S. campaign launches on Saturday, May 21, with an event from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Illinois Tollway's Alsip maintenance site off the Tri-State Tollway (I-294) at 12600 S. Cicero Ave.

Specially trained professionals will take photographs and fingerprints of children 3 and older and gather vital information to include on ID cards that parents and caregivers can reference in an emergency*.

Certified child passenger safety technicians will check child safety seats and help with proper installation. It's the law for kids under age 8.

​The May 21 event features:

• Tollway and Alsip Police Department vehicles to explore
• Games and activities provided by the Children's Museum in Oak Lawn
• Windy City ThunderBolts baseball team and team mascot Boomer
• Refreshments and snacks provided by Jewel-Osco stores

The Importance of Child Identification Cards and Safety Seat Inspections

​Why Kids' ID Cards Are Important 

• Kids ID cards help locate lost children by immediately providing police with an accurate description of the child.
• Surveys indicate up to 90 percent of American families will experience temporarily losing a child in a public place.
• It's estimated that 34 percent of parents wouldn't be able to accurately describe their child to law enforcement, including details of exact height and weight, as well as their child's eye color.

​Every parent has experienced the panic of not knowing where their child is, if only for a minute. Parents should always be prepared with child ID cards. Two free ID cards per child will be provided at K.I.S.S. events– one for home and one for a wallet or purse. Registration for kids' ID cards will close 30 minutes prior to the end of each K.I.S.S. event.

Why Correctly Installed Child Safety Seats Are Important 

• Properly installed safety seats significantly reduce the risk of injury and can save lives in a crash.
• A properly secured child safety seat is one less distraction for drivers.
• The Illinois Police have found that approximately 90 percent of child safety seats they inspect are improperly installed. Inspections allow parents and caregivers to make sure they are in compliance with Illinois law and that their children are safe while on the road.

​For directions to the event at the Tollway's Alsip maintenance site and to find another K.I.S.S. event near you this summer, see our 2016 K.I.S.S. event schedule.


*Neither Illinois State Police nor the Illinois Tollway keep this information in a database. Once the ID card is issued to the guardian, the information is deleted.