April 21, 2004
Car seat check reveals mistakes
Ninety-two percent fail seat inspection
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Eight percent.
Eight percent of the car seats examined Saturday during a car seat safety check passed. Ninety-two percent failed.
And those are good numbers, noted Jennifer Ritter, coordinator for North Shore SAFE KIDS, who sponsored the event at Saturn of Traverse City. Last year at the Saturn event, 70 of 71 seats failed.
"This is a little better than normal," said Ritter, who runs the local chapter of SAFE KIDS, a nationwide program, through the Michigan State University Extension office.
SAFE KIDS conducts car seat checks monthly in the area, but every year they throw a big event at Saturn of Traverse City. In addition to car seat safety checks, they offer snacks, coloring books for kids and literature on a range of safety issues.
Ritter said that educating parents about the best way to position their car seat in their car, as well as effectively using its restraints on a child, is crucial.
"A lot of people think they are doing it right, most people think they are doing it right, and then they are surprised," she said of their reaction when volunteer inspectors say the seat or its installation failed the check.
"Over 50 percent of the evaluations said, 'Gosh, I thought I knew everything and I can't believe how much I learned today,'" Ritter added. "So that's helpful to us because it shows we need to be out there doing what we're doing."
Diane Kelly of Houghton Lake was pleased at the close attention and guidance Grand Traverse County Sheriff Mike Makowski gave to her son's car seat. Kaden, four months, wailed intermittently during the check but in the long run she knows he is safer for it. Makowski meticulously adjusted the seat's straps to fit Kaden, a large baby, and also showed Kelly how to best position and fasten the seat into her car.
"I learned that it is important to have everything positioned properly," Kelly said. "You just can't throw them into it and go."
"I didn't realize that it reduces the risk so much to have them [the SAFE KIDS volunteers] look at it," she added, noting that his seatbelt was too snug and the plastic restraint not properly positioned on her son's body.
Nicole and Scott Perron of Elk Rapids attended the check with their six-day-old daughter. They learned of the event at childbirth classes and came to ensure that their new baby was as safe as possible.
"They don't answer all the questions in the manual so we came here to have the professionals look at it," said Nicole Perron. "There are way too many things to figure out at the beginning, as a new parent, so we'll pass some of it on."
Fred Doelker is a safety consultant with Triple A in Traverse City who conducts car seat safety checks from Niles to Marquette. Throughout the four-hour event Saturday in Traverse City, he analyzed each seat, baby and car, finding the optimal settings to ensure maximum safety for the young passenger.
"This baby is very little," he told one mother as he tightened the seat's restraints beyond what seemed comfortable. "Their shoulders are very flexible and in a forward crash she will just slip out."
Other car seat checkers are drawn from police and safety personnel in the community, who volunteer their time to help parents unravel the mysteries of correct car seat usage.
"They all give their time and it is really cool because they are from all different agencies," noted Ritter. "They are really good about volunteering."