WAVERLY, Ohio — The Pike County General Health District is offering free child passenger safety classes twice a month, teaching parents and caregivers how to properly install car seats and, for families who qualify, providing a free seat.
Classes are taught by a nationally certified Child Passenger Safety Technician and are held the second Wednesday of each month at 10 a.m. and the fourth Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the health district’s office, 116 S. Market St. in Waverly, according to a Facebook post from the health district. The classes cover how to select and use rear-facing, forward-facing and booster seats, and what comes next as a child outgrows one stage of seat for another.
Free car seats are available through the class to eligible families who live in Pike County, have a child under 65 pounds and meet Medicaid or WIC income guidelines, the health district said. The giveaways are part of Ohio Buckles Buckeyes, a statewide program run through the Ohio Department of Health that supplies convertible, forward-facing and booster seats to low-income families and pairs them with a certified technician for proper installation.
The classes address a problem child passenger safety advocates say is widespread. More than 60% of car seats checked by certified technicians nationally are installed or used incorrectly in some way, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, even though most parents believe their seats are secure. A correctly installed car seat reduces the risk of a fatal injury in a crash by 71% for infants and 54% for toddlers, NHTSA research shows.
The Pike County General Health District, headquartered in Waverly, is the county’s public health agency, providing immunizations, communicable disease prevention, newborn screenings, environmental health inspections and vital records in addition to its safety and prevention programs.
Space in the car seat classes is limited. Those interested in registering can call the health district at 740-947-7721 or email Ginny Dickerson at [email protected] or Nikki Spencer at [email protected].
The information contained in this story was obtained from the Pike County General Health District.
