The Marion Star/Bill Sinden
“It’s a convenience world,” said Vernon Hylton, field operations//member relations for Worthington’s AAA Auto Club, talking about how for example the majority of gas stations are now self-serve and have no one checking fluid levels and tire pressure. He estimated in about 50 percent of calls made by stranded motorists the break-down could have been prevented.
Stephanie Langley, a Safe Kids-Central Ohio child safety seat inspector, also talked prevention as she checked not only how seats were installed but whether they were on any recall list. She said Safe Kids urges people to not use car seats for more than five years. “Car seats do get tired,” she said.
“They get used and abused.” Langley, director of service support administration for Marion County Board of Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities, said Safe Kids inspected five seats between 10 a.m.-3 p.m. People who would still like their seat inspected can call 740-375-6138 for an appointment. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nearly 400 children under 5 years old were saved by the use of child safety seats in 2005.
An AAA press release stated that car seats have been shown to reduce infant fatalities by 71 percent Langley said there are common mistakes in installation such as seat belt harnesses not connected properly or not tightened enough. The retainer clip on the harness should be near children’s armpits but are often placed too low, such as near their stomachs, she said. She said she urges people to make sure their seats are safe and said many people use second-hand seats, which she advises against.