Safety Fair interests all ages

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

NEW ULM -- Parents and children learned valuable information about child safety seats, bicycle safety and child identification Saturday at the Second Annual Bike Rodeo in the Civic Center parking lot on the Brown County Fairgrounds.

Dozens of parents learned how to properly secure children in safety seats at a clinic staffed by New Ulm Police Officers that are certified car seat installers.

Officer Allison Miller said some parents learned they had no properly used child safety seats and were glad to be educated on the proper way to use them. The most common error is that child seats are not secured tightly enough in vehicles, she said.

"Child safety seats can be difficult to install," Miller said. "We encourage anybody with questions to talk to us, at any time, not just during the safety fair."

Miller said any child safety seat sold today meets federal safety standards. She discouraged anybody buying used safety seats and suggested seats six year old or older be replaced since they might not be safe anymore.

Children under age 1 or weighing less than 20 pounds should be rear-facing. Child safety seats should be used until age 4. Booster seats are suggested until children reach age 9.

Children not properly buckled may be seriously hurt not only in crashes, but also from sudden stops. Seven out of ten child safety seats are not used properly. Vehicle seats and safety belts are built for adults, not children.

Officer Julie Duehring urged parents call to learn all they can about child passenger safety so their children are safe.

Children were fingerprinted and given DNA test kits. Results from DNA tests are good for 85 years, according to police officer Dave Borchert. Federal agencies encourage the use of DNA test kits.

Kits that cost $5 each were provided by a $2,500 United Way grant.

Bike helmets were available at $4 each thanks to financial help from a number of civic organizations.

Using helmets, children on bikes learned driving and riding rules, safety suggestions and navigated an obstacle course.

Borchert said children on bikes that properly fit them can easily maneuver the course while those on improperly fitting bikes cannot do so as easily.

Youth became acquainted with a New Ulm Fire Dept. truck, new police car and "Thunder," the new German Shepherd dog used by police.

"It was good to see youth getting comfortable with the dog, giving it belly rubs," Borchert said. "The safety fair was started by former Police Chief Howard Zins who felt it should be done for city residents."

For more information, call the Auto Safety Hotline at 1-800-424-9393. To order brochures or learn more about the Minnesota Child Passenger Safety Program, call 1-800-818-9296 or visit www.buckleupkids.state.mn.us