Mineral County Buckle Up Program hits the streets
<p>Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Steve Spurr shows a resident how to properly install a child safety seat during an event in September.</p>
The Mineral County Buckle Up Montana Coalition has hosted a total of two events in the county in order to educate residents on the importance of buckling up while driving as well as the importance of properly utilizing child safety seats.
At the second event focusing on child safety seats on Sept. 21, coalition members were stationed at the Superior Fire Hall throughout the day – offering a free meal and free instruction for residents.
“We’re very happy with the turnout today,” Juli Balenger, Buckle Up Montana Coordinator, said at the event. “We had the hospital van and two pregnant mom’s show up today which is far more than our last event. Our goal is to keep kids safe.”
The Sept. 21 event was held in conjunction with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Child Passenger Safety week – a nation-wide campaign aimed to raise awareness and educate the public on the importance of the proper use of child safety seats.
“Every (Buckle Up) coalition in Montana is doing something today,” Balenger said of the campaign.
Balenger added that the group is planning on hosting events every other month at the fire hall and said they can provide a myriad of information to interested residents.
“We have car seats to supply to parents and caregivers and we can teach them how to properly install the seat,” Balenger said. “We also are able to help double check the fitting of the seat as well as see if the seat is expired or if there has been a recall on the seat.”
Currently there are two certified child passenger seat technicians who will be available at the bi-monthly events for Mineral County Buckle Up Coalition – Superior Fire Chief John Woodland and Montana Highway Patrol Trooper Steve Spurr.
Judy Mahon, the coalition’s other chairperson, got involved when her grandchildren came to visit her and a need arose to move child seats from one automobile to another. Mahon said she was having trouble installing the seats and then realized how important the work the coalition is doing is to the community.
“I had seen Juli with information and knew she was involved so I asked her to give me some information and then ended up getting involved myself,” Mahon said. “If these seats aren’t properly installed it can be very dangerous.”
For more information on the services offered by the Buckle Up coalition, contact Juli Balenger.