Working Draft for:
Preeceville's Main Street with the Mayor Garth Harris for March 5th, 2020 8:35 am
With GX94's Craig Wallebeck > see him @ http://www.gx94radio.com/craig-Wallebeck
This week we focus on: March Traffic Safety Spotlight on seatbelts and child
seats
“We are alive today because we buckled up.”
Mar 2, 2020
March Traffic Safety Spotlight on seatbelts and child seats
“You don’t have to tell Milissa Gavel about the importance of buckling up, because she and her 14-year-old son Kai are walking, living proof. They survived a high-speed rollover when Kai was just a baby.
In December 2005, Milissa, then three-month-old Kai and a friend were driving on Highway 10 from Melville to Regina. As they pulled out to pass a vehicle on the single-lane highway near Edgeley, she hit a patch of black ice. Milissa swerved to avoid crashing into the vehicle she was passing, and her SUV ended up in the ditch where it rolled at least two times before coming to a rest.
The vehicle’s side windows were shattered; the ditch was strewn with Christmas presents that had flown out during the rollover. But Milissa, Kai and her friend remained inside, alive, and amazingly, completely uninjured.
“If we hadn’t been wearing our seatbelts, and if Kai hadn’t been securely in his car seat, I’m sure we would have been ejected -- or partially ejected -- during the rollover,” Milissa said. “We are alive today because we buckled up.”
In a crash, buckling up can be the difference between being shaken up… or dead. Just ask Milissa , or any of the people who commented on our recent Facebook thread when we asked “Was there a time a seatbelt saved YOU from injury… or worse?” That’s why, in March, SGI and law enforcement are shining the Traffic Safety Spotlight on occupant restraints (a.k.a. seatbelts, car seats and booster seats).
“There are many fatalities we attend that would have had a different outcome if the victim was wearing a seatbelt,” said A/Cpl. Adele Breen of the RCMP F Division Forensic Collision Reconstruction Program.
Wearing your seatbelt reduces your risk of being injured or killed in a crash by about 50 per cent. While most people wear their seatbelts, there are still many people who – inexplicably – do not. Over the past decade (2009-2018), improper or non-seatbelt use was a factor in an average of 34 fatalities and 231 injuries per year in Saskatchewan. In 2019’s Traffic Safety Spotlights, police across the province reported an average of more than 500 tickets issued every month for people not being properly restrained in seatbelts or car seats/boosters.
“Today’s vehicles have many modern safety features, but a properly fastened seatbelt remains the most important, quickest and easiest way to help ensure your safety in the event of a collision,” said Penny McCune, Executive Vice-President of the Saskatchewan Auto Fund. “For little ones, it’s very important to make sure they are safe and snug in the appropriate car seat or booster, according to their size.”
Drivers: you are responsible for making sure that every passenger under the age of 16 is properly restrained, and you can receive a ticket for each one who isn’t. Visit an SGI seat clinic or book an appointment with a car seat technician to ensure that your child is in the correct car seat and is safe and snug. Tickets for not wearing a seatbelt and for not having a child properly restrained both cost $175, plus three demerits.
To hear more of Milissa Gavel’s story, or to tell us about a time a seatbelt saved you, follow SGI on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram throughout March.”
#BuckleUp
Contact
Media inquiries
Tyler McMurchy, Manager, Media Relations, Saskatchewan Government Insurance
306-751-1837 306-535-6207 (cell) tmcmurchy@sgi.sk.ca
Customer inquiries
Customer Service Centre 1-844-TLK-2SGI (1-844-855-2744) sgiinquiries@sgi.sk.ca
Child car seats
Your child's size, weight and height will determine the correct car seat to use. The car seat manufacturer's instructions will tell you:
- if the seat is right for your child
- how to place it in the correct position
- what equipment you need
- how to properly install it
Children should stay in each stage until they reach the minimum recommended weight for the next stage of seating.
Proper installation goes a long way in ensuring your child's safety.
Rear-facing stage
This is the safest position for your child and it’s generally recommended they stay in the rear-facing stage for as long as possible.
Infant car seat
Recommended weight of 1.8 to 16 kg (4 to 35 lb.):
- car seat faces rear
- secured by locking seatbelt or Universal Anchorage System (UAS)A Universal Anchorage System (UAS) can be found in all light passenger vehicles manufactured after 2002. The UAS anchors are found between the back of the seat and the seat cushions. Your car seat will have a UAS belt with clips to attach to the UAS anchors.
- use locking clip if seatbelt doesn't have a locking device
- harness straps snug - 1 finger slides between strap and child's collarbone
- chest clip at level of armpit
- seat handle in the position required by manufacturer while in the vehicle
- harness strap(s) at or slightly below baby's shoulder
- baby's head is at least 1 inch below top of seat
Convertible car seat
Recommended weight 2.3 to 22 kg (5 to 48 lb.):
- face backward - from birth to minimum 1 year of age and can accommodate weights from 2.3 to 22 kg (5 to 48 lb.) but check the manufacturer’s directions to be sure.
- face forward - seat can face forward when child is 1 year of age, weighs 9 to 30 kg (22 to 65 lb.) and walks unassisted
- car seat secured by locking seatbelt or Universal Anchorage System (UAS)A Universal Anchorage System (UAS) can be found in all light passenger vehicles manufactured after 2002. The UAS anchors are found between the back of the seat and the seat cushions. Your car seat will have a UAS belt with clips to attach to the UAS anchors.
- use locking clip if seatbelt doesn't have a locking device
- harness straps snug - 1 finger slides between strap and child's collarbone
- chest clip at level of armpit
- harness straps at or slightly below baby's shoulders
Note: If your child doesn't meet all the requirements, the seat should remain rear facing.
Forward-facing stage
Kids can move to a forward-facing seat when they:
- are at least 1 year of age
- weigh 9 to 30 kg (22 to 65 lb.)
- can walk unassisted.
Keep in mind, there’s no reason to rush your child into a forward-facing seat. For example, if your rear-facing seat goes up to 16 kg (35 lb), your child can stay in that seat until they are the maximum weight recommended by the manufacture. Check your car seat manufacturer’s instructions for guidelines.
Recommended weight from 9 to 30 kg (22 to 65 lb.):
- seat secured by locking seatbelt or Universal Anchorage System (UAS)A Universal Anchorage System (UAS) can be found in all light passenger vehicles manufactured after 2002. The UAS anchors are found between the back of the seat and the seat cushions. Your car seat will have a UAS belt with clips to attach to the UAS anchors.
- seat top secured by tether strap
- locking clip if required
- harness straps snug - 1 finger slides between strap and child's collarbone
- chest clip at level of child's armpit
- harness strap at or slightly above child's shoulders
- head and neck protected by child car seat or vehicle’s headrest
Installation guidelines
Before installing:
- Check your manufacturer's instructions to make sure the car seat will accommodate your child's weight and height.
- Check the vehicle owner's manual for information about where to place your car seat and where the tether anchors are.
During installation:
- Always place children 12 years and under in the back seat and never in seats with a front air bag.
- Children sitting too close to a deploying air bag can be seriously injured or killed.
- Try to place children in the middle of the back seat if you can.
- Push the child car seat down while you tighten the belt or Universal Anchorage System (UAS)A Universal Anchorage System (UAS) can be found in all light passenger vehicles manufactured after 2002. The UAS anchors are found between the back of the seat and the seat cushions. Your car seat will have a UAS belt with clips to attach to the UAS anchors..
- There should be less than 1-inch of movement from side to side and no movement front to back.
- The chest clip should be at the child's armpit level.
- Ensure harness straps lie flat (not twisted).
- Use the proper seatbelt path depending on rear-facing or forward-facing car seat.
Make sure you don't:
- use child car seats with door-mounted seatbelts or motorized seatbelts. These prevent a secure installation.
- wrap your baby in a blanket or put them in a snowsuit before securing the straps.
- Nothing should interfere with the straps that hold the baby in the car seat or add extra bulk. Instead, put the straps on then cover the baby with blankets.
- install the infant car seat completely upright.
- A newborn's head will flop forward making it difficult to breathe. Place a rolled towel or a length of swimming noodle under the front of the car seat to tip the seat back for a better angle (about 45 degrees).
- use household booster seats in your vehicle. They aren't designed for transportation purposes.
Check your installation
Watch a demonstration on proper car seat installation on the Parachute YouTube Channel.
After installation, have your child car seat checked by a trained technician:
- visit a scheduled car seat clinic in your area
- book an appointment with a car seat technician
Second-hand car seats
Know the history and never buy a used car seat if it:
- has been in a severe crash
- has expired or is past the manufacturer's useful date
- doesn’t have the manufacturer's instructions available
- has ripped or torn fabric, or the harness or tether straps are missing or frayed
- doesn’t have a sticker on it that says it meets the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS)
- if the metal parts are rusted
- has been recalled by Transport Canada
Check it out. Very usefully, know before you go!
Events:
Bingo 606 Harvard Preeceville Air Cadets Squadron Sponsoring Committee BINGO. Every Thursday at Club 60. Doors open at 7pm, first game starts at 8pm.
Preeceville & District Lions Club Chase the Ace - Minimum Jack-Pot is now at a $8,298.00
Draws every Thursday night at the Curling Rink.
Watch for their Ad's. Follow the ACE on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PreecevilleChaseTheAce/
- Preeceville Lioness Ham Bingo The Lioness Ham Bingo will be held on Monday March 16th, 2020 at the Preeceville Club 60. Doors open at 6:30 pm and first game starts at 7:00 pm
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- And as always if you wish to have an event promoted visit and post it to our Community Events Calendar at www.townofPreeceville.ca
Follow the Mayor on blogspot at http://mayorharris.blogspot.ca/
follow me on facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/mayorgarthharrisfollow me on twitter @https://twitter.com/MayorGartharris
follow me on google+ @ https://plus.google.com/u/0/102741942183606627948?tab=wX#102741942183606627948/posts
follow me on youtube @https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKyA9eN2gdku8lGSo0WPRWw
follow me on instagram @ http://instagram.com/garthrharris
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