Today: Child Safety Seat Inspection on Fort Hood for Military Families

KILLEEN, Texas--Dec. 10, 2005--As part of a statewide partnership designed to reduce the leading cause of fatalities among children, the Governor's Office, Texas Department of Public Safety and 21st Century Insurance will bring their consumer safety program, which promotes compliance with Texas law for child safety seats, to military families at Hood Stadium on Fort Hood from 10 a.m. to 12 noon this Saturday, Dec. 10, 2005. Texas law requires that a child passenger restraint (child safety seat or booster seat) be used on all children younger than five years of age and less than 36 inches tall.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children two years of age. NHTSA recently updated their information on improper child safety seat installation. New data show that 80 percent of child safety seats are improperly installed and are a potential source of injury for children, up from 73 percent in 2004.

To help reduce preventable injuries and deaths, the Governor's Office, Texas DPS and 21st Century Insurance will sponsor a child safety seat fair at Hood Stadium on Fort Hood from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. DPS will provide specially trained officers to inspect and, if necessary, replace and install a new child safety seat donated by 21st. Officers will educate parents and caregivers how to use and install the seats. Children must accompany vehicles for proper fitting and will be helped on a first come, first served basis.

"Recent national statistics show that more than 80 percent of children in vehicles are unrestrained or buckled up incorrectly," said Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Lonny Haschel, Texas Highway Patrol. "A properly installed child safety seat can make the difference between a safe, healthy child and one who's injured or killed."

Actor Erik Estrada, best known as "Ponch" on the hit TV show "CHiPs," will join fair participants to spread the word on child seat safety. "Wearing your seatbelt and making sure your children are properly buckled up is the best insurance against being killed or seriously injured in many vehicle crashes," Estrada said. "I urge all parents to have their child's safety seat inspected. Just a few minutes could save a life."

Federal statistics show a critical need for education regarding booster seat use:

    --  According to recent data from NHTSA, at least 80 percent of
        children who should ride in booster seats currently do not.
    --  NHTSA recommends that children who weigh more than 40 pounds
        or who have outgrown their 5-point harness system should be
        placed in a booster seat.
    --  Using a booster seat allows the seat belt to be positioned
        across the child where it is most effective and lowers the
        risk of injury to children in crashes by 59 percent.

The Texas program is modeled after the company's successful efforts in California and Illinois. Since 21st Century Insurance premiered its child safety seat initiative four years ago, more than 5,700 child safety seats have been inspected; 21st has donated more than 4,600 new child safety seats; and more than 2,400 broken, recalled or non-age-appropriate child safety seats have been collected and discarded. This Saturday's Fort Hood safety fair is the sixth such event for 2005. The partnership has sponsored events in Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Austin, Dallas and Houston so far this year.

To help inform the public, the Office of Gov. Rick Perry, DPS and 21st have created "Child Safety Seats: A Parent's Guide" to explain proper seat installation and use. The guide, available in English or Spanish, can be obtained at the safety fairs as well as directly from 21st by contacting the company's corporate headquarters at 1-800-211-SAVE or visiting www.21st.com.

The guide includes key tips such as the following:

    --  All children age 12 and younger should ride properly
        restrained in the back seat.
    --  Never place a rear-facing child safety seat in the front seat
        where a front-mounted passenger air bag is present.

About 21st: Good people to call

Founded in 1958, 21st Century Insurance Group is a direct-to-consumer provider of personal auto insurance covering over 1.5 million vehicles and with $1.3 billion of premiums in California, Texas, Illinois and six other states. 21st provides superior policy features and 24/7 customer service at a competitive price. Customers can purchase insurance, service their policy or report a claim at www.21st.com or on the phone with our licensed insurance professionals at 1-800-211-SAVE. Service is offered in English and Spanish both on the phone and on the Web, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 21st Century Insurance Company and 21st Century Casualty Company are rated A+ by Standard & Poor's. 21st Century Insurance Company, 21st Century Casualty Company and 21st Century Insurance Company of the Southwest are rated A+ Fitch Ratings.

21st Century Insurance Group is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the trading symbol TW and is headquartered at 21st Century Plaza, 6301 Owensmouth Avenue, Woodland Hills, CA 91367.