Next Car Seat Safety Check To Be Held October 7

Header--Montgomery County, Maryland. Press Releases

Db/carseat5 99-349

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

For Immediate Release: September 30, 1999

Next Car Seat Safety Check
To Be Held October 7

Montgomery County, NBC TV-4, the Fitzgerald Automotive family, and the Montgomery County Safe Kids Coalition are sponsoring a free car seat check on October 7 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. 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 to provide safety information to area parents.

The car seat check will be conducted at Fitzgerald's Lakeforest Auto Mall, located at 903 N. Frederick Ave. in Gaithersburg, Maryland. The entrance for the car seat check is on Russell Ave. in Gaithersburg. 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-TV, the Safe Kids Coalition and Jack Fitzgerald to provide this safety check because we place a high priority on protecting our children," 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. "Our major car seat checks to date indicate that more than 90 percent of child safety seats are installed incorrectly." NBC TV-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. Car seat checks are provided by Safe Kids organizations throughout the Washington metropolitan area. For more information, 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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