THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, July 12, 1994 TAG: 9407130657
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ANGIE MARBURY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 123 lines
REMEMBER when you had your first child? You got just about everything you needed through hand-me-downs. Clothes from your best friend. Stuffed animals and baby dolls from your sister. Even the big stuff, like the solid oak baby bed and a big, pink playpen.
You even got a very expensive-looking car seat from a yard sale. Boy, that sure was a help.
Or was it?
Maybe; maybe not.
Used car seats can be dangerous, warn Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) officials.
``You don't know the history of the seat,'' says Mary Ann Rayment, traffic safety information specialist for DMV. ``It may have been in a crash. The instructions are usually missing. It may have significant pieces missing, and if the seats were on recall, you wouldn't know because you don't have the warranty card.''
If you can get the warranty card, and you know the history of the seat, she said there shouldn't be a problem. But even then, she added, all of the pieces must be there, including the retainer and lock-in clips.
The retainer clip is the piece of metal extending across the chest area of the seat. It restrains the child.
The locking clip holds the lap and shoulder belts together creating a fixed length for safety belts with a sliding tongue. This allows the belt to move freely after it is buckled, or to lock if there is a sudden crash.
Even if the pieces are in place, ``companies have been known to recall seats because the retainer clip will crack in a crash,'' Rayment said. ``And without that little piece, there is no protection. And if you don't have the warranty card, how would you know if your seat were on recall?''
Seats with broken straps or broken pieces of metal also shouldn't be used, she said.
``One lady bought a child seat from a thrift store and someone had cut the safety portions of the seat off. In that case, there would have been no protection,'' said Mark Summerell, treasurer of the Concerned Citizens Advocating Against Traffic Safety (CCATS).
``If you cannot answer the question `Has the seat ever been in a crash?' and you don't know for sure, then why take the chance?'' asked Summerell, a father of three.
Rayment said if you have questions about a seat you have purchased or are not certain whether it is installed properly, DMV will check it free of charge.
Some thrift stores continue to sell used car safety seats, but say the seats are checked for missing parts before they are sold.
``Always before we put items on the floor, we test them and make sure that they work. If we see that it's broken and the screws are loose or if the strap is broken, we don't put it out,'' said Tara Billups, manager of Goodwill Industries of Tidewater in Portsmouth.
Nicey Hawkins manages the Salvation Army Thrift Store on Military Highway in Norfolk, which also sells used seats.
``It's one of the hottest items we have here,'' Hawkins said.
The Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters thrift stores do not sell used car seats.
The DMV, along with CCATS, sponsor annual child safety seat roundups during February and March.
In 1992, the first year of the round-up, 25 seats were retrieved. This year, 843 were turned in. The seats are destroyed at a landfill.
``Our mission is to help educate, put forth programs and help find solutions to transportation safety issues in Hampton Roads,'' said Rayment.
CCATS also offers a $5 reward to anyone who brings in a used car seat. The group has also been known to purchase them from places such as yard sales and garage sales and destroy them.
Rayment said the campaign against used car safety seats is currently only in Virginia, but is being considered in other states.
She said she realizes that many people purchase the used seats because they cannot afford new ones. DMV offers new safety seats for anyone who meets certain income and other requirements.
Children's Hospital also has car seats available for those who can't afford to buy them, yet don't meet DMV's criteria.
Anyone thinking about buying a used seat, or who has purchased used seats in the past, said Rayment, should consider turning them in.
``It's such a short-sided purchase for a long-time commodity - our kids.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
The Department of Motor Vehicles and Concerned Citizens Advocating
Against Traffic Safety annually sponsor child seat round-ups and
later destroy the seats in a landfill.
Graphic
SOME PARENTS CANNOT afford to purchase a new seat. When
considering a used seat, follow these guidelines.
Determine that the seat has not been recalled or that the
necessary repair had been completed correctly. Loan programs should
keep track of all seat recalls. If in doubt, call the Auto Safety
Hotline at (800) 424-9393 or SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. at (213)
673-2666
Inspect the seat fully for the following:
FMVSS 213 compliance label
Date of manufacture after Jan. 1, 1981.
Manufacturer's instruction booklet on proper use that should come
with the seat (missing instruction booklets may be reordered from
the manufacturer; some child passenger safety programs may provide
copies as well)
Structural integrity, i.e., no hairline marks in plastic, cracks,
loose rivets, etc.
All parts, including harness straps retainer clip, padding,
shield, tether straps and bolts (replacement parts often can be
ordered from the seat manufacturer)
Evidence of crash involvement; ask the previous owner.
Angie Marbury
by CNB