Car Seat Safety Check To Be Held September 1

Header--Montgomery County, Maryland. Press Releases

Db:carseat4.pr 99-298

Contact: George Rose 240 777-3678
Sue Rogan 240 777-3722

For Immediate Release: August 26, 1999

Car Seat Safety Check
To Be Held September 1

Montgomery County, NBC-4, the Fitzgerald Automotive family, and Montgomery County Safe Kids are sponsoring a free car seat check to help parents and caregivers learn how to properly install child safety seats. More than 50 car seat inspectors will be available to check car seats for proper use and installation, and they will provide safety information to area parents.

The car seat check will be conducted on Wednesday, September 1 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Fitzgerald Auto Mall, located at 5501 Nicholson Lane, Rockville, Maryland. Inspections will be conducted on a first-come, first served basis. No appointment is necessary.

The National Safe Kids Campaign reports that car seats, when correctly installed and used, are extremely effective in saving children's lives in automobile crashes, reducing the risk of death by as much as 71 percent. National studies, however, have found that more than 80 percent of car seats are installed or used incorrectly.

"Properly installing a child safety seat is not easy for parents to do on their own. Child passenger safety technicians have to complete a standardized 40-hour course through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and be certified in order to install child safety seats," said Kathy Wood, coordinator of the Montgomery County Safe Kids Coalition.

"We are partnering with NBC-4, the Safe Kids coalition and Jack Fitzgerald to provide this safety check because we place a high priority on protecting children while they ride in automobiles," said Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan.

The Montgomery County car seat safety program has already prevented four cases of death or serious injury to children whose parents came to one of the county's checks, according to George Rose, Chief of the county's Division of Consumer Affairs. "At our last major car seat check in July, we inspected 326 car seats. Only seven were installed correctly."

NBC-4 consumer reporter Elizabeth Crenshaw will be broadcasting live from the event and will be talking to parents about child safety issues. Refreshments will be provided for both parents and kids, along with a free coloring book and crayons for each child.

For more information about car seat checks in specific areas, please call the car seat hotline numbers listed below.

Fitzgerald Auto Mall - 301 548-4847

Montgomery County - 240 777-3660

Fairfax County - 703 280-0559

Prince George's County - 301 864-7233

DC Safe Kids - 202 662-0600

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