Fitting Stations for Child Seats Urged

A government safety agency on Wednesday recommended a nationwide network of fitting stations for child seats to prevent the deaths of children in automobile accidents.

National Transportation Safety Board Chairman Jim Hall said most parents do not know a child seat is improperly installed until after a crash in which their child is injured or killed. More than 80% of child seats are improperly installed in autos.

“The NTSB believes that the federal and state governments should be more directly involved in assuring that child safety seats are used correctly and in forming partnerships that will accomplish this important task,” Hall said.

He added that integrated or built-in child seats should be available in more cars and trucks. He said they would also be beneficial on planes and school buses.

The board can only recommend auto safety initiatives, but its recommendations carry great weight with other government agencies.

The safety board says the fitting stations could be established across the United States at vehicle inspection sites, motor vehicle administration offices, fire stations, automobile dealerships and safety organization offices.

Hall cited Australia as an example of such a system. Australia has had successful child-seat-fitting stations for almost 15 years, starting with 60 in 1985 and growing to 132 stations today, he said.

Hall said the initiative should be financed out of government transportation dollars.

He did not say how much the initiative would cost or how many stations would be needed.

In 1997, 604 children under age 5 were killed in motor vehicle crashes.

The National Safe Kids Coalition and its volunteer network have inspected nearly 17,000 seats in the last two years.

At those checkups, the group found about 87% of child seats were installed improperly.