OSHP's billboard campaign raises $9,000 for child seats

CANFIELD -- The Ohio State Highway Patrol collected more than $9,000 from last week's child safety seat billboard campaign.
The money will be used to buy at least 180 child seats for children in Mahoning County.
The OSHP partnered with the Mahoning Valley Safe Kids Coalition, Y-103 Radio, Lamar Advertising, Inner Circle Pizza and Tod Children's Hospital in their fund-raising effort.
The child safety seats will be purchased and distributed beginning in January.
The OSHP conducted similar campaigns in Ashtabula, Columbiana, Jefferson, Portage and Trumbull counties as part of the Ohio Buckles Buckeye program. Collectively, those counties and Mahoning raised more than $21,000 -- enough to buy at least 420 child safety seats.
The state patrol noted that more children die in motor vehicle crashes than by any other cause. In Ohio, as is the case in every state, it is illegal for children to ride unrestrained, yet in too many cases, drivers do not properly restrain their children passengers, the patrol said.
Ohio's child passenger safety law requires those children less than 4 years of age or less than 40 pounds be restrained in a child safety seat.