Medical Experts for Comment on Booster Seat Law in Pennsylvania; Research Underscores Legitimacy of Upgraded Child Restraint Law

   WHO:  Flaura Koplin Winston, M.D., Ph.D., and Dennis Durbin, M.D., MSCE,
         are internationally recognized leaders in child passenger safety
         research.  Dr. Winston is a practicing pediatrician at The
         Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, a biomechanical engineer and
         clinical researcher who is director of TraumaLink, a comprehensive
         pediatric injury research center.  Dr. Durbin is an attending
         physician in the emergency department at Children's Hospital, an
         epidemiologist, and associate director of research for TraumaLink.

         Drs. Winston and Durbin are principal and co-principal
         investigators of the Partners for Child Passenger Safety Project
         (PCPS), a multi-year national research study with State Farm
         Insurance Companies that examines the factors that affect whether
         children are injured or protected in motor vehicle crashes.  With
         information on more than 330,000 children in crashes, PCPS is the
         largest single research project in the country devoted exclusively
         to pediatric motor vehicle injury.

   WHY:  On February 21, a law goes into effect that upgrades the child
         occupant restraint law requiring children to be restrained in
         child safety seats and booster seats until their 8th birthday.
         The law also requires older children to be restrained in seat
         belts in any seating position until their 18th birthday.

         Partners for Child Passenger Safety data has provided the
         scientific foundation for increased legislative activity across
         the country mandating appropriate child safety seats and seat
         belts for all children in motor vehicles.

  PCPS FACTS (as of August 2002):
  --  PCPS surveillance show that only 38 percent of children between the
      ages of 3 and 8 are in child restraints.
  --  While U.S. parents generally do a good job of restraining infants and
      toddlers, age-appropriate restraint drops to 52 percent beginning at
      age 3.  By age 4 the most prevalent form of restraint is an adult
      seat belt.  Only 24 percent of children age 4 are in booster seats.
  --  Children who are placed in seat belts rather than car or booster
      seats are 3.5 times more likely to suffer a serious injury in a
      crash.
  --  Car and booster seats provide an added 60 percent reduction in injury
      risk compared to seat belts for children through age 7 years.
  --  More than 1.5 million children are passengers in motor vehicle
      crashes each year in the United States.  Today alone, more than 750
      children will be injured.  Nearly 100 of these children will be
      seriously injured.
  --  Children's Hospital sees more than 200 admissions each year involving
      children who are seriously injured in motor vehicle crashes.  These
      children represent 20-25 percent of all trauma admissions to the
      hospital.

EXPERT INTERVIEWS: Contact Suzanne Hill at 215-590-1417 to schedule interview with Drs. Winston and Durbin.

****ADDITIONAL PHOTO/ INTERVIEW OPPORTUNITY****

On Saturday, February 8, 10:00 a.m. - 1 p.m. a Car Seat Check will take place at Northeast Auto Outlet's Chevrolet Dealership, 3301 Grant Avenue, Philadelphia. Car Seat Check coordinator Gina Duchossois, is the Trauma Prevention Coordinator at Children's Hospital and Chair of the SAFE KIDS Coalition of Southeastern Pennsylvania and will be available for interviews and demonstrations on booster seats. Duchossois is a NHTSA certified child passenger safety technician. To reach her call 215-590-1000, and ask for pager # 10534.

CONTACT: Suzanne Hill of The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, +1-215-590-1417 or Hillsu@email.chop.edu.

PRNewswire -- Feb. 7

Source: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Web site: http://www.chop.edu/

Company News On-Call:
http://www.prnewswire.com/gh/cnoc/comp/159681.html