According to a recent study from the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, specific data for Ohio indicates the rate of misuse to be 86 percent.

The most common forms of misuse are:

• safety belts not holding seats in tightly

• harness straps are not snug

• harness straps are incorrectly routed

   Improper installation may result in greater injury or death to children involved in MVA’s (motor vehicle accidents).  A significant problem has also been identified for children between 40-80 pounds who require booster seats for adult lap and shoulder belts to fit them properly.  The Ohio Department of Public Safety and Lt. Governor Maureen O’Connor has asked local fire and EMS agencies to become involved by establishing child safety seat checks and fitting stations to help reduce child fatalities on Ohio roadways.

UNSAFE CHILD SAFETY SEATS TO BE  CRUSHED AT RECYCLING CENTER

   Kettering Firefighters began inspecting child safety seats as part of the Wright Fitting Station Network twelve months ago in conjunction with the Greater Dayton Injury Prevention Center. To date, they have inspected nearly 700 seats. More than 90 percent of the child safety seats inspected were installed improperly and unsafe for children to travel in.  Most of the errors found pertain to the actual installation of the safety seats in to the vehicles.  Firefighters have removed nearly 140 unsafe seats that were; defective, recalled, older than 6-10 years, unknown crash history, or had missing parts, and taken them out of circulation. On Wednesday, February 14th many of those seats will be crushed at the city’s recycling center beginning at 10 a.m.

   “Too often unsafe seats find their way back into someone’s car,” says Paramedic Nick Hosford. “People buy them at garage sales, take them from the trash, accept hand-me-downs from a friend or neighbor without obtaining a proper history of use for the seat. We have determined these seats to be unsafe and want to take them out of circulation permanently.”

    The city of Kettering Fire Department and Safety Section conduct free child safety seat inspections on a regular basis.

To have an inspection performed, parents and caregivers should contact KFD Headquarters @ 296-2489 Monday-Friday during normal business hours to schedule an appointment.

For additional information, please click on the links below.

National Safety Transportation Safety Administration

Ohio Dept. Public Safety

Safety Belt Safe U.S.A

Zero Tolerance

Kettering's fitting station brochure

(pdf format.  Need Adobe Acrobat Reader)