WITBY FREE PIISSI UUHAM MoVIiS, J iUNEs 8, 1988, PAUe Ni Child restraints and seat belts -they save lives By Shari Banks From 'Safety Update' Two boys, each about 10 years old, walk up to the video monitor at the Ontario Safety League's child car seat display in a Toronto mall and watch a short movie. It's called "Children in car crashes" and it realistically portrays what happens to incorrectly restrained and unrestrained children during accidents. Infants are jettisoned like missiles from their mother's arms and slan into windshields, shattering glass and cracking skulls. Children in car seats not anchored with seat belts are helplessly hurled toward waiting ashboards and other occupants. This is called the human collision --those split-seconds after impact when death and injuries occur. In this particular movie though, there are no screams, no cracked skulls, no blood, no humans. For this is crash test footage which uses anthropomorphic dummies designed to respond just like the human body. These tests are conducted by federal government regulatory agencies to ensure car seats meet rigorous standards on seat strength, performance, etc. Still, the scenes are shocking, although the boys don't seem to think so. Each time a head is shown crashing through the windshield, or a body is slammed against the dashboard, the boys smile and laugh, hopelessly oblivious to the film's blatant message. It is a reaction shared by two men in their early twenties: 'This will never happen to me' is surely the attitude. And yet it did happen...to 12 children under age 5 who died in Ontario motor vehicle accidents in 1986...to 1,500 children who were injured that same year, some left so disabled they will never know what it is like to walk. But 80 per cent of these injuries did not have to happen. Correctly fastened car seats would have prevented most of them. Even though child restraint legislation has been with us since 1982, many people still don't use them, while even more use them incorrectly. Changing attitudes through education was the aim of the league's safety seat awareness campaign More than 1,800 people stopped by the display during its first phase from August to October last year. But with increased publicity and the participation of the province's infant restraint loaner clubs during the final three months of ther campaign, the league expects to greatly exceed that figure. For the second leg of the campaign, a wider geographic area was planned with stops at shopping malls in Brantford, Kitchener, Peter- borough, Pickering, London, Cambridge, Oakville and north Toronto. Although the campaign's purpose was to focus exclusively on car seats, one of the most controversial subjects discussed during the tour was the mandatory use of seat belts. The law has been in effect for 12 years, but many people remain stubbornly opposed to wearing seat belts as evidenced in the 65 to 70 per cent usage rate in Ontario. It is an attitude which is more often than not adopted by children. It is also this attitude which contributes to the unacceptable high levels of misuse and non-use of car seats. You still see infant restraints facing forward rather than facing the rear, loose harness straps, tether straps unused on forward-facing seats, car seats not secured or improperly secured with the vehicle's seat belt, infants carried in an adult's arms rather than a car seat, and the list goes on. (From birth to 9 kg (20 lbs), infants must ride in a rear-facing restraint; from 9 kg to 18 kg (20-40 lbs.), toddlers must ride in a forward-facing seat anchored with a tether strap; and over 18 kg (40 lbs.), a booster seat or a lap belt must be used.) Why then does misuse continue? Some people complain that manufacturer's installation instructions are difficult to follow. As a result, the seat is installed based on how the individual feels it should be done. If this is incorrect, the seat will not perform as it should in an accident. Many people say they don't use a tether strap because they can't understand how to install it. It doesn't help when accompanying diag rams are small with little detail. Others believe that tethers would slow down rescue efforts in an emergency. And of course there are aesthetic reasons for misuse and non-use: 'the harness looks like a straight jacket,' 'the seat is too uncomfortable for the child,' 'harnessing is confusing,' 'seat can't be used in my compact car because there isn't enough room for the child's legs,' etc. But whatever one's personal feelings about child restraints and seat belts, the fact is that passenger restraints do save lives and lessen the severity of injuries. With a little extra time, patience and effort while choosing a seat and then using it correctly, a child's safety is assured in most accidents. Here are some tips to help you choose a child safety seat: * Is the seat simple to use? Imagine the day when you will be in a rush and may miss a step in a complicated set-up. * Are the manufacturer's instructions clear and straight-forward? Can the seat be used in your type of vehicle? Check your vehicle manual for a section on child safety seats. * Toddler and convertible seats used forward facing must be anchored to the vehicle with a tether strap. Is tether equipment in the box or already attached to the seat? • Is there adequate growth room in the harness straps and can they be easily adjusted? In seats with padded armrests, is there enough room between a three-year-old in a snowsuit and the armrest? • Some seats have metal frames or plastic frames. Which type will sit easily on your vehicle's seat? * Choose a seat you like and use correctly everytime you use Car and cash bonuses are offered Every Wintario ticket is a winner during the Cars, Cash and Gas bonus May 27 to June 23, reminds Ontario Lottery Corporation president D. Norman Morris. The winning begins on the scratch portion of Wintario tickets where players can win $1, $2, or $5 savings on a minimum purchase of 25 litres of Sunoco gasoline. Bonus scratch prizes also include $5, $10 and $15 cash. "As part of a cross promotion with Sunoco Inc., this winnners-only lottery is a first of its kind in Ontario," Morris explained. Highlighting the promotion are 12 bonus draws for brand new Plymouth Voyager LE mini-vans. During the June 2, 9, 16, and 23 Wintario draws three bonus numbers will be drawn to award these vehicles. The bonus prizes are in addition to the regular Wintario prizes valued at $3.6 million each week, including the regular instant win feature. 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