It’d be hilarious if it weren’t so sad–you know how the various state police posts and government agencies have been railing on people to get their car seats installed properly?  Well, as it turns out, many of those car seats are actually–get this–tainted with lead.

Check THIS out:

More than half (58%) of the car seats tested by the group contained one or more hazardous chemicals, including PVC, brominated flame retardants (BFRs), and heavy metals. This does not mean infants and young children who use these seats will become ill or experience adverse effects now or later in life, nor that parents should not use car seats, which can save lives.

So now, the car seats that everyone’s counting on to save lives have about a fifty / fifty chance of exposing children to some kind of chemical additive that may or may not have some effect on them later.  Note the phrasing there: “this does not mean infants…will become ill”.  It also does not mean they will not.

Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.  The choice is horrendous.

Tags: car seats, chemicals, child car safety, child safety seats, flame retardants, lead, PVC

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Heads up Pennsylvania residents– if you’ve got kids, chances are you know you need a car seat.  But what you may not know is that there is a specific way to put in that car seat.  And in some cases, if your car seat is not properly installed, it can result in fines for you, or, injury to the child.

But along comes the helpful folks at the Pennsylvania State Police to offer up free child seat safety check days, in which they’ll take a look at your installation, and if you’ve botched the job in any way, they’ll patch it up right.

And, if any cop tries to hassle you about it down the line, you have the ultimate excuse “I had a state trooper fix it at the last safety check day.  If YOU can’t get it right what hope do I have?”

Here’s the schedule of events in case you’re interested:

Wal-Mart in Elizabethville – checks 9/16-9/18

Summit Health Center in Chambersburg – checks 9/16 and 9/17

Pennsylvania State Barracks in Newport – checks 9/15 and 9/16

Pennsylvania State Barracks in York – checks 9/18

Tags: car safety, car seat, car seat safety check, car seats, pennsylvania, Pennsylvania state police, safety

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Good causes deserve special assistance and for Safe Kids Pennysylvania, this comes in the form of a Chevy Express for use as a Mobile Car Seat Check-Up Van. The van will allow Safe Kids Pennsylvania to provide, as a public service, life-saving child passenger information and hands-on car seat installation demonstrations wherever needed.

The Mobile Car Seat Check Up Van, provided by Chevrolet and Safe Kids Worldwide, is fully equipped with everything needed to provide free inspections, during which certified technicians will ensure that car seats are properly installed, and teach families how to install and use car seats correctly.

The exterior of the van features colorful backgrounds and graphics of children in various types of child safety seats. “We hope that when parents see the colorful van on the roadways, their thoughts will turn to making sure their children are properly buckled up,” Franchak added.

The van is one of six donated by Chevrolet Safe Kids coalitions around the country this year.

(Source) Press

Tags: car seat check, car seat installation, car seats, Chevrolet, chevy express, child safety seats, colorful backgrounds, demonstrations, mobile car, parents, pennsylvania, roadways

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People who have expired child car safety seats can now have a great option to get rid of them as they can drop them off at Shade Tree Garage or Marty’s Reliable Cycle. A special day has been designated in Morristown, NJ to kick-off the State’s first recycling effort for expired infant and child safety seats.

On Saturday, May 9, 2008, from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, residents can go to the Morristown Town Hall Parking lot where they will learn how to take apart an infant/child safety seat and prepare it for recycling. After May 9th, the town will begin collecting properly disassembled car seats at curbside. Town residents will also be able to drop their disassembled car seats off at Shade Tree Garage and Marty’s Reliable Cycle in Morristown.

Most people are unaware that car safety seats expire five to six years after production. The plastics used in these seats deteriorate over time from sun and heat exposure and the seats become unsafe for use. Also, if a car seat has been in an accident, its protective qualities may be further compromised. Up to this point in time, owners have had two choices for disposing of the used or expired seats – giving them away or throwing them in the trash.

Charities and consignment or thrift shops have no way of screening the seats to know if they have expired or been in an accident and anyone picking up a car seat that has been placed at the curb for disposal are unknowingly putting their child at risk.

(Source) Press

Tags: car safety seats, car seat, car seats, charities, child car safety, child safety seat, child safety seats, plastics, recycling, shade tree garage

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These days, not all people have the cash to buy a new car for their private transportation needs. Rather than buy a brand new vehicle, one can always turn to the classified ads and check out cars being offered for sale at manageable prices.

Here are some tips when checking out a potential second hand car for purchase:

1. Check the chassis. Have it lifted and check for oil leaks or chassis cracks. If possible have it the chassis washed so you can see possible areas for repair, if any.
2. Have a mechanic check the engine. Evaluate the running condition of the engine. Get a reliable mechanic to assess the engine so you can be aware if overhauls or some mechanical parts replacements may be needed.
3. Tap on the car body. If you hear a sound that seems to be padded, chances are this car has been repainted due to accidents. See how many areas are like that to see how many times the car may have been retouched.
4. Check the interiors. See if anything inside like the car seats, door sidings or the dashboard may need repairs.
5. Test Drive the car. This is the best part in making a decision. Drive the car without any noise on bumpy terrains. Observe for weird sounds like clunking and how the car overall stability. From here you can see if the car has good suspensions which may be expensive if you need to have them repaired.

There is nothing wrong with buying a second hand car. Just be aware of defects and do an extensive check on it to see if it is indeed worth the money you will be shelling out.

Tags: buying a second hand car, buying a used car, car body, car buyers, car seats, chassis, Dashboard, mechanic, oil leaks, private transportation, second hand cars, suspensions, test drive

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