Kids Safety Event Coming to Hinsdale Oasis

Submitted by the Illinois Tollway.

In an effort to keep children safe and parents worry-free this summer, the Illinois Tollway and Illinois State Police District 15 are hosting a free Kids Identification and Safety Seat (K.I.S.S.) event at the Hinsdale Oasis on the Tri-State Tollway (I-294).

Parents, grandparents and caregivers are invited to stop by and create free kids’ identification cards and get help with child safety seat inspections.

The free K.I.S.S. event will be held on Saturday, June 27, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Hinsdale Oasis on I-294 at milepost 25. Child safety seat inspections will take place in the parking lot on the southbound side of the oasis and kids’ ID card processing will take place inside the oasis pavilion accessible from parking lots on both sides.

The event will feature an Illinois State Police District 15 K-9 demonstration at noon, as well as an Illinois State Police motorcycle and a Hinsdale Fire Department fire truck from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Kids also can climb aboard a Highway Emergency Lane Patrol (H.E.L.P.) truck and a 26-ton Illinois Tollway snowplow at the Tollway’s touch-a-truck exhibit.

“Child safety seats are critical to saving lives and preventing injuries, and yet, Illinois State Police have found that approximately 90 percent of child safety seats they inspect are improperly installed,” said Illinois Tollway Executive Director Kristi Lafleur. “K.I.S.S. events offer free child safety seat checks and ID cards to keep children safe and provide peace of mind for parents, grandparents and caregivers when they’re on the road.”

K.I.S.S. events offer parents and caregivers the opportunity to have ID cards created for children age 3 and older. Specially trained professionals take kids’ photographs and fingerprints and gather vital information to include on three personal ID cards – one for home and two for a wallet or purse. Neither Illinois State Police nor the Illinois Tollway keeps this information in a database. Once the ID card is issued to the guardian, the information is deleted.

More than 2,100 children – almost two children per minute – are reported missing every day in the United States according to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. And, it is estimated that more than one-third of American parents wouldn’t be able to accurately describe their child to law enforcement, including details of exact height and weight, as well as their child’s eye color. Many lost children can be located if parents immediately provide police with an accurate description of the child.

K.I.S.S. events provide certified child passenger safety technicians to inspect and install child safety seats and help drivers stay up-to-date with the latest safety seat information and educational materials.

Nationally, research on the effectiveness of child safety seats has found them to reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants younger than 1 year old and by 54 percent for toddlers 1 to 4 years old in passenger cars, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA). Of the nearly 780 children ages 8 and under who died in crashes in 2013, more than 40 percent were unrestrained, according to the NHTSA.

“Safety seats should be every parent’s first priority,” said District 15 Acting Commander Robert Meeder. “Child safety seats and restraints are the most effective way to reduce the chance of serious injury in the event of a crash.”

K.I.S.S. events offer a convenient way for drivers to make sure they comply with Illinois law, which requires that whenever a person is transporting a child under age 8, the person is responsible for properly securing the child in an appropriate child restraint system.

In 2014, the Tollway and District 15 successfully teamed up to host 13 K.I.S.S. events throughout the region. Altogether, a total of more than 240 child safety seats were inspected and nearly 500 kids were issued identification cards last year.

To participate in K.I.S.S. events, parents and caregivers should bring child safety seats, children and the vehicle in which the child safety seats will be installed. Information on recalls and recall detection, correct positioning, correct sizing to protect the child most effectively, plus additional safety information and resources will be offered at these events.

K.I.S.S. events are scheduled at a variety of locations along the 286-mile Illinois Tollway system throughout Northern Illinois. For more information, visit the Tollway’s website at www.illinoistollway.com.

Child Safety Seat Basics

The safest place for infants, toddlers and young children to ride is in the back seat with the appropriate child safety seat for their age and weight. Some of the more common problems District 15 inspectors pinpoint include too much slack in harness straps, not properly anchoring the car seat, improper seat size for the child’s weight and the need for booster seats for older children.

Infants should ride rear-facing until 2 years of age, longer if possible, to protect their developing muscles and bones. Rear-facing child safety seats protect a growing baby’s head, neck and back in a crash. Toddlers and young children should ride in a child safety seat with an internal harness until they reach the maximum harness limit of the child restraint system.

A booster seat is the most effective way to position a safety belt properly on a young child’s growing body. Safety belts are designed for adults who are at least 4 feet 9 inches tall. Until age 8, most children have not developed strong hipbones and their legs and bodies are too short for the adult safety belt to fit correctly without use of a booster seat.