Children gain safer seats
By LEWIS DELAVAN News editor

A SEAT FOR SAFETY Morgan Parker, 7, smiles as she waits for volunteer Alex Aitken and her mother, Lisa, Parker, to strap sister Ashley, 2, into a newly adjusted child seat.

More than 90 percent of children safety seats checked by police have one or more errors.

Many problems were resolved at the free Child Safety Seat Checkup recently at the Benton Wal-Mart parking lot.

Benton Police Department hosted the checkup, along with University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Child Passenger Safety Education Program and the Saline County Hometown Health Coalition.

Police Sgt. Kevin Russell said technicians and officers helped correct problems.

Even if seats are initially adjusted properly, it must be changed as the child grows. The goal was to educate parents so they could make adjustments when needed.

A child safety seat checklist is available at the police station at 114 S. East St., Benton.

Many of the checklist's questions require a simple "yes" or "no" answer:

• My child under 1 year faces the back seat.

A SEAT FOR SAFETY LEWIS DELAVAN PHOTOS Benton Police Department officer Bobby Shell carries a child safety seat at a parent needing a new seat.

• My child under 40 pounds always rides in a car seat with harness straps.

• The straps are snug and I can't fit more than one finger under the strap.

• The car seat does not move more than 1 inch from side to side.

• My child over 40 pounds always rides in a booster seat with a lap belt and shoulder belt.

• The shoulder belt is on my child's shoulder and not his/her neck and the lap belt is snug, flat and comfortable on my child.

• My child under age 13 always rides in the back seat.

• Every family member over 80 pounds wears a seat belt.

If any of these questions are answered "no," Russell said the child's car seat should be checked.

Participating volunteers represented Benton Mayor's Youth Council, Arkansas State Police and Rotary Club of Cleburne County, as well as the sponsoring agencies.

Some free car seats were available for people needing one, thanks to a federal grant. "We gave away 15 seats inthe first 30 minutes," Russell said.

For more information about child safety seat safety, call Russell at 776- 5948.