Small Town News

Car seat safety check held in Mankato

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Last Wednesday parents, grandparents and child caretakers gathered in the Mankato City Park for car seat safety checks sponsored by Parents as Teachers.

Two Kansas State Troopers inspected the seats trained the parents on the proper way to install the seats and told of hazardous to watch for. While many parents consider installing a car seat to be easy, the thick booklet of instructions that come along with the seat and the troopers warned otherwise. State Troopers Adam Barta and Wade VanMeter encouraged all parents to get all car seats inspected by a state trooper.

"We attend a seven-day training course just to learn how to properly install car seats, " Barta said. "Every vehicle, seat belt, and car seat is different and the instructions don't always cover that. We also check the seats against an updated recall list and check the expiration dates on the seats. If nothing else it's a chance to have the seat looked at with a second set of eyes just to make sure your child is as safe as possible.

Officer VanMeter said, "More than 95 percent of the seats I check are installed wrong in some way. Sometimes even parents who are on their third child still don't know how to correctly put a car seat in."

A large majority of self-installed car seats have some type of misuse. Either the straps are not attached or routed correctly, the straps or seat are too loose, or the seat is not positioned correctly. "We just want to keep the children safe, " added Officer Barta.

The troopers also said to be wary of car seats purchased at garage sales. It is important to know if the seat has been in any sort of accident. Even a fender-bender can weaken the plastic of the seat causing it to not work properly. If an accident does occur, the troopers recommend calling the insurance company and replacing the car seat with a similar one. They also warned about checking seats that are left in the sun or in a hot car, as it can weaken the plastic of the seat. If there is any discoloration of the plastic, or white spots in the

plastic, have the seat checked.

Car seats come with expiration dates, and the troopers will not install a car seat more than 7 years old. They said, every time a child is placed in a car seat, check the base of the seat where the seat belt runs across by trying to wiggle the seat side to side, the seat should move no more than an inch. If it does move more than one inch, the seat needs to be tightened. The plastic fastener on the shoulder straps should be level with the armpits of the child. This is one of the most crucial pieces of the car seat as it keeps the straps correctly positioned in case of an accident.

Children need to be 1 year-old and weigh at least 20 pounds before their car seat can be forward facing. Car seats should be placed in the back seat and never in front of an airbag. If placing the seat in the front seat is necessary, as in the case of a pickup with no back seat, be sure to disengage the airbag in front of the car seat.

Kansas law requires that children up to the age of 7 need to be secured in

a booster seat, unless the child weighs more than 80 pounds or is taller than 4 feet 9 inches.

The troopers said it is important to always buckle up the youngsters, but the youngsters learn by example, so parents and anyone riding with a child needs to be mindful to buckle up as well.

To have a car seat inspected or installed contact the Jewell County Sheriffs Department to set up an appointment to have a trooper perform the service free of charge.

Parents As Teachers will be hosting it's next monthly meeting at the Rock Hills Elementary School on Thursday, Sept, 16. It will be a free class open to the public presenting information on protecting youngsters from household poisons. All childcare providers and caregivers are encouraged to attend, and education credit hours are available to day care providers. For more information contact Amanda Anderson at her office next to the Ute Theatre in downtown Mankato,



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© 2011 The Superior Express Superior, Nebraska. All Rights Reserved. This content, including derivations, may not be stored or distributed in any manner, disseminated, published, broadcast, rewritten or reproduced without express, written consent from DAS.

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