Check showed safety seats were misused

Editor,

It is always wonderful to see cooperation and participation in community events. I am referring to the 4th Annual Wal-Mart Safety Day that took place on Sept. 24. Wal-Mart has a well known history of caring for and giving back to our community. With that said, I want to publicly thank Erin Melugin and Wal-Mart for their role in planning and hosting the Safety Day event and its mission to protect our children.

Not only did they provide a means for the Lake County Safe Kids Safe Communities Coalition to ensure the safety of children who ride in safety seats, they donated a large portion of the cost of the child safety seats that we, in many cases, gave away to families in need.

I also owe a huge "thanks" to Teri Boettcher and Dolly Frey for volunteering their time as Certified Child Passenger Safety Technicians on such a cold, windy day to assist me with checking car seats. I can't say enough about their dedication to child occupant protection.

A final thanks goes to the Wal-Mart employees who volunteered to be Vince and Larry, the Crash Test Dummies. They kept both children and adults entertained and were a great asset to the events and theme of the day.

During Safety Day, a total of 26 child safety seats were checked, and every one of them had at least one type of misuse. Even a minor mistake can reduce the child safety seat's effectiveness and ability to function correctly in a crash. This is important information for those parents who use safety seats (or should be using them) and believe they are using them correctly when, in fact, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that at least 80 percent of all child safety seats are used incorrectly.

To be sure their children are riding safely and appropriately in a vehicle, parents can have their child safety seats checked by appointment at the Lake County Health Department by calling 883-7319. Also, look for other car seat check up events coming soon to other Lake County locations.

Any time a child's life is potentially saved by a correctly installed child safety seat is considered a victory. Thank you again to all who helped make this year's Safety Day event so successful.

Emily Colomeda

Safe Kids Safe Communities Coordinator

Polson