Safe Kids Dalton is teaming up with the Dalton-Whitfield Solid Waste Management Authority & Material Recovery facility to crush more than two years’ worth of old, expired, or outgrown car seats. The “seat crush” will be held Friday, April 17th at 10 AM at the Solid Waste Management facility. The “seat crush” is being held to remind the public that it’s not safe to re-use old car seats. This is the third “seat crush” for Safe Kids Dalton. In the first “seat crush”, approximately 2,200 pounds’ worth of car seats were crushed, while two years ago in 2007, Safe Kids crushed approximately 1,000 pounds’ worth of car seats. The car seats for Friday’s event have been collected by Safe Kids at the Dalton-Whitfield Red Cross office, at road safety checks, and at car seat inspections.
It’s important that old car seats not be re-used, and the only way to ensure that is to destroy them. Car seats have expiration dates. Made of plastic and webbing, they can become damaged with use and washing, and often parts can be lost over time. They’re a one-child, one-use item! Safe Kids discourages the purchase of car seats from yard sales or flea markets for this reason. Once a car seat has been strapped into a car during an accident, even if no child was present, the car seat needs to be replaced.
Safe Kids estimates that Dalton has a 95% misuse rate of car seats. Misuse includes putting children into forward-facing car seats too soon (children must be a year old AND at least 20 pounds before they use a forward-facing car seat), or allowing children to ride without a car seat too soon. Safe Kids recommends that children be at least 80 pounds before they go without some sort of car seat or booster seat. State law in Georgia requires that children be in car seats or booster seats until they are 6 years old. Tennessee state law requires children use car seats or booster seats until they are 9 years old, with children under 12 years of age required to sit in the back seat. Other examples of misuse include using seats which have expired, have missing parts or are not being used according to the manufacturers’ specifications. These elements all put children at risk or injury or death.
Read the owners’ manual of your vehicle and your child restraint system, or contact Safe Kids Dalton if you have any questions about your child restraint system’s safety. Safe Kids is located in the Dalton-Whitfield Red Cross office at 1101 South Thornton Avenue in Dalton, open Monday-Friday 9 AM-5 PM. The office number is 706-278-5144. Certified Child Restraint Technicians are available to answer your questions. Clients of the Dalton-Whitfield Health Department can contact the Health Department for assistance with a FREE car seat. Safe Kids Dalton has a reduced-price car seat program for residents of Whitfield County who are parents or have legal custody of children. There is an application which must be completed and reviewed by the Safe Kids Dalton board. No seats are offered before birth and everyone must complete a one-on-one training session about the car seat before one will be issued.
Safe Kids Dalton will host a car seat check event on Saturday, April 18th from 10 AM to 2 PM at the K-Mart on Walnut Avenue in Dalton.
A very helpful stuff o this blog about the car seats and there usages. Really we are not suppose to use 2 years old car seats for the kids it would break any time while traveling. So, please take care of the kids for safe drive.
Posted by: carseats19 | May 14, 2009 at 08:29 AM