Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
Serving Gogebic, Iron and Ontonagon Counties
JOSH FILZ, of the Michigan State Police, inspects a child's car seat during the Kids Always Ride Safely (KARS) program, which provides parents with car seat knowledge and offers discount priced car seats for purchase. The event took place from 3-6 p.m. at the Wakefield Fire Department.
WAKEFIELD - Parents of young children had the chance Tuesday to have their children's car seats thoroughly examined by members of local law enforcement and other certified child passenger safety inspectors.
With eight technicians and one instructor, the event, which was held from 3-6 p.m. at the Wakefield Fire Department, aimed to safely install car seats for parents, as well as teach them how to do it correctly on their own.
"The goal of the project is education," said Judy Pruner, project assistant for the Upper Peninsula's Kids Always Ride Safely (KARS) program.
Pruner said that as many as 85-90 percent of car seats have some type of misuse, whether improperly installed, inappropriate for the size of the child or other issues.
The KARS program provides parents with car seat education, and also allows families to purchase one of four different types of car seats at lower than market prices, with even more of a discount for those participating in WIC (Women, Infants and Children) programs.
"We want to teach parents how to install the seat, as well as about the car and safety belt systems, so that they can install their child safely," Pruner said.
The KARS program is provided with a grant from the Office of Highway Safety Planning, which allows for car seats to be purchased and sold at low costs.
The program received additional help from the Upper Peninsula Child Passenger Safety Coalition, which provides certification for individuals interested in car seat inspection and education.
Halfway through the event, about 11 car seats were inspected, to which Pruner said "It's been very successful."
Officials at the KARS event were also handing out certificates of proclamation for Sept. 9, 2014, which Gov. Rick Snyder proclaimed "Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Day."
According to the proclamation, in 2012 an estimated 56.1 percent of Michigan women of reproductive age, 18-44 years, reported using alcohol.
In addition, 20.6 percent reported binge drinking four drinks on any one occasion, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For more information about KARS, contact japruner@sbcglobal.net, or call 906-483-1395.
