DaimlerChrysler Opens Its Free Child Safety Seat Inspection Service To America
9 February 2000
DaimlerChrysler Opens Its Free Child Safety Seat Inspection Service To Every Child in America Announces Fit for a Kid Available Today at Almost 400 Dealers in 80 U.S.
Markets; Available at 1,000 Dealers Nationwide By Year's End
CHICAGO, Feb. 9 -- Today, DaimlerChrysler took its commitment
to safety to new heights by opening its free, permanent child safety seat
inspection service -- Fit for a Kid -- to all families, no matter what make or
model vehicle they drive.
Whether you drive a Ford, Honda, Toyota, Dodge, or any other vehicle,
participating Fit for a Kid dealers will inspect your child safety seat at no
charge. Vehicle crashes are the leading killer of kids and studies show more
than 80 percent of children in safety seats are not correctly buckled in.
"Safety technology changes so quickly and consumers are inundated with so
much information, they are often left confused about how to best protect their
family," said Jim Holden, president of DaimlerChrysler. "With Fit for a Kid,
DaimlerChrysler offers a simple, understandable solution to a serious problem
with an unmatched, personalized safety service."
Working with Fisher-Price and the National Safety Council, DaimlerChrysler
is the only automaker that provides free child safety seat inspections at
permanent locations throughout the United States with Fit for a Kid. The
service is now open at almost 400 participating Five Star DaimlerChrysler
dealerships in 80 markets throughout the country with a total of 650 trained
inspectors. Five Star dealers are certified through DaimlerChrysler's
trademarked process for ensuring customer service excellence. Hallmarks of
the program include a commitment to properly trained and satisfied employees,
customer-focused sales, service and parts processes, comprehensive customer
follow-up, and clean, well-organized facilities. Fit for a Kid will be
available in 1,000 Five Star dealerships by the end of the year -- creating
the capacity to inspect an estimated 800,000 child safety seats a year.
Last January, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) called on
automakers and others to create a national system of permanent child safety
seat fitting stations. DaimlerChrysler is the only company to meet that
challenge by creating permanent fitting stations.
"By making its Fit for a Kid child safety seat fitting stations available
to every family in America, DaimlerChrysler will save countless children from
needless injury and death," said Jim Hall, NTSB chairman. "Today,
DaimlerChrysler takes another truly significant step forward to improve the
safety of our nation's children. I salute DaimlerChrysler and its dealers for
their remarkable commitment to safety. I urge every parent and caregiver to
take advantage of DaimlerChrysler's program and have their children's safety
seats inspected at the earliest opportunity."
To illustrate the problem and the need, DaimlerChrysler released the
results of a national survey of 600 drivers who regularly transport small
children. The survey found that 96 percent of respondents felt very or
somewhat comfortable that they always install and use their child seats
correctly. In contrast, actual safety seat inspections show that only 20
percent of children in safety seats are, in fact, properly buckled in. The
survey found that 40 percent of adults did not know about the misuse problem,
and more than 70 percent said they were likely to use the Fit for a Kid
service.
According to DaimlerChrysler Senior Vice President Sue Cischke, "Fit for a
Kid is designed to be a convenient, personalized service for today's busy
parents." She said appointments can be scheduled by calling toll free 1-877-
FIT-4-A-KID, clicking on http://www.fitforakid.org, or calling a dealer directly.
Each inspection takes 20-30 minutes.
To increase awareness of the problem and to encourage seat inspections,
DaimlerChrysler announced two new elements to the program. First,
DaimlerChrysler and its dealers are launching a multi-million dollar
advertising campaign to promote awareness of the need to have child seats
inspected. The second is a new promotional partnership with Arthur, the star
of a best selling book series and the number one children's television program
on PBS.
"We hope the power of Arthur to communicate with children and parents will
help get families to use DaimlerChrysler's Fit for a Kid service to protect
their children," said Marc Brown, creator of Arthur. According to Brown,
Arthur activity books, colorful promotional displays, and possible story lines
for television and books are being considered for the service.
Fisher-Price and the National Safety Council have worked with
DaimlerChrysler on this commitment to child safety right from the start.
Fisher-Price provides child passenger safety expertise and loaner seats. The
company also is offering discounts on Safe Embrace Convertible Car Seats and
Booster Car Seats to caregivers who discover during the inspection that their
current seat is not safe.
"Through our partnership with DaimlerChrysler, every customer who buys a
Fisher-Price child seat or any other safety seat will now have a place to go
for help to be sure it is installed and used correctly," said Mary Jean Bush,
director, marketing for Fisher-Price.
The National Safety Council coordinates training and record keeping.
Jerry Scannell, president of the National Safety Council added, "Because of
Fit for a Kid, every American family now has access to an invaluable safety
service to keep children safe."
DaimlerChrysler created Fit for a Kid in the summer of 1999 with a pilot
program in 51 dealers in four cities (Denver, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Sacramento
and Washington, D.C.). During the pilot program, the service was intended
only for DaimlerChrysler customers.
"Opening the service to everyone was the result of a successful pilot
program, the enthusiasm and support of our dealers, and frankly, the need to
keep kids safe," said Holden.
Fit for a Kid is one of several DaimlerChrysler safety initiatives. Other
safety programs include The Back is Where It's At, Stop Red Light Running, Do
the Buckle, and The Neon Drunk Driver Simulator. DaimlerChrysler also is a
partner in the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign.
