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Area Residents Receive Training In Car Seat Safety

With the vast majority of car seats being installed improperly nationwide, the West Virginia Governor’s Highway Safety Program is seeking to correct that problem in the region.

Program officials conducted a three-day car seat safety certification class at West Virginia Northern Community College in Wheeling last week. After completing the training, participants became nationally certified as technicians for car seat safety.

Melissa Taylor, northern regional coordinator for the Governor’s Highway Safety Program, said 14 people participated in the training sessions. She said the class included a mix of participants, with nurses from  Wheeling Hospital, law enforcement personnel from the entire region (Hancock to Tyler counties) and representatives from the Family Resource Network and the Wetzel County Center for Children and Families.

For the last phase of the national certification process, class members were sent into the community to conduct car seat safety checks. They demonstrated the proper installation of car seats at The Highlands Friday and at Heritage Port Saturday.

In the class sessions, Taylor said, “They’re learning how to install car seats properly and how to be able to convey that to parents and caregivers.”

After gaining national certification, technicians have to attend a one-day class every two years to be recertified, she said.

Training is crucial because “four out of five car seats are not installed properly,” Taylor said.

Common errors including placing the seat in a vehicle loosely or not locking in the seatbelt, she said. A car seat also must be installed at a proper angle for a young child’s head.

In addition, she said, parents should choose the correct seat based on their child’s height and weight.

If parents or caregivers are unsure if they are installing seats correctly, “they can contact us and we’d be glad to show them,” Taylor said.

In Wheeling, both the police department and the fire department are fitting stations for car seats.

“We set up different car seat checks throughout the region,” Taylor said. Certified technicians help with the northern regional events and can also set up their own safety checks in their home communities.

Through the Governor’s Highway Safety Program, Taylor also supplies free car seats to the Wheeling fire department. “We do provide car seats if you’re low-income and in need of a seat,” she said.

For more information on upcoming highway safety and child passenger safety events, check the Facebook page at WV Northern Regional Highway Safety Program or follow the program on Twitter at NRHSP@WVGHSP4.

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