Safety-seat check fee proposed for scofflaws in North Aurora

North Aurora Police Chief Tom Fetzer is proposing to start charging people $50 for child safety restraint installation and inspections obtained to get out of a traffic ticket.

“While I think we should continue to install child safety seats as a free service to the citizens we serve, I don’t think that we should provide this service free of charge to those who choose to violate the law and then come here to have their charges dropped,” Fetzer wrote in a memo requesting the fee.

The North Aurora village board’s public safety committee will discuss the proposal at 6 p.m. Monday.

A state law change in January allows people who receive first-time tickets for not using child restraints in their vehicles to have their convictions eliminated if they attend an “instructional course” by a certified safety-seat technician. The technician is required to inspect the system, review it with the person, ask them why they weren’t using a restraint and provide a letter of certification the person can submit to the judge.

The fine for a first offense is $75.

Fetzer said North Aurora typically does about 125 safety-seat installations and inspections a year, and that he expects that to increase due to the change in the law. Seven officers are certified by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to do the inspections.

Residents would still get free inspections and installations, as long as they aren’t coming in because of a violation. Like neighboring towns, the police department does those inspections only by appointment.

Aurora offers inspections to both residents and nonresidents. Batavia, Geneva, Sugar Grove and St. Charles offer inspections only to residents. None charge for the inspections. Aurora requests that anyone seeking an inspection actually have the seat installed before coming in.