DaimlerChrysler Launches 'Fit for a Kid' in Washington, D.C.
16 September 1999
DaimlerChrysler Launches 'Fit for a Kid' in Washington, D.C.: Free Child Safety Seat Inspections for Customers By Appointment
DaimlerChrysler is World's First Automaker to Offer Child
Safety Seat Inspections as an Integrated Service Working
With Fisher-Price and the National Safety Council
WASHINGTON, Sept. 15 -- On any given day in the Washington,
D.C. area, an estimated eight out of ten children are at risk in safety seats
that are not properly secured. Today, help has arrived with a new
DaimlerChrysler service called Fit for a Kid.
Beginning today, DaimlerChrysler customers in the Washington, D.C. area
will be able to have their child safety seats checked -- for free, by
appointment. It is the first service of its type in the world. The service is
a partnership with Fisher-Price and with the support of the National Safety
Council.
"Traffic crashes are the leading killer of kids," said Susan Cischke, vice
president of safety affairs, DaimlerChrysler. "Each year, about 1,000 children
eight years of age and under are killed on our nation's roads. By doing more
than any other automaker in the world to ensure that children are safely
restrained in our vehicles, we know we will prevent countless injuries and
deaths."
DaimlerChrysler's new Fit for a Kid safety seat inspection service will
serve more than 14,000 children a year in the D.C. metropolitan area. Once the
program is rolled out nationally in early 2000, the service will create the
capacity to inspect more than 800,000 seats a year, compared to about 30,000
inspected last year at community events throughout the nation.
Eighteen dealers in the metropolitan D.C. area will begin providing this
service. Washington, D.C. is one of four areas selected to pilot the new Fit
for a Kid service this fall. The others are Denver, Colo., Minneapolis/St.
Paul, Minn., and Sacramento, Calif. Under the program, customers can call
1-877-FIT-4-A-KID or click on http://www.fitforakid.org to find a nearby
participating dealer. Then they can call the dealer directly to make an
appointment.
"With Fit for a Kid, DaimlerChrysler has set a new standard for child
passenger safety for the entire auto industry worldwide," said Jim Hall,
chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). "Incorrect
installation of child safety seats is a serious problem, and if every
automaker follows the leadership shown by DaimlerChrysler, the problem will be
addressed."
In January 1999, the NTSB issued a nationwide challenge to develop a
network of permanent child safety seat fitting stations. DaimlerChrysler's Fit
for a Kid is a direct response to the NTSB's call to action, and
DaimlerChrysler is the only automaker in the world to respond with a
comprehensive solution.
Joining that solution is Fisher-Price, which will lend its child safety
expertise and products to help make the program possible. Fisher-Price is
contributing Safe Embrace carseats as loaner seats for customers who need
them. The company also is offering discounts on Safe Embrace Convertible Car
Seats and Booster Car Seats to customers who discover during the inspection
that their current seat is not safe. Safe Embrace car seats were selected for
the program because of their design innovations and safety features, such as a
built-in tether strap.
"Every Fisher-Price product represents an ongoing commitment to safety and
helping families get the best possible start in life. A significant part of
that commitment is our line of Safe Embrace car seats," said Mary Jean Bush,
director of marketing, children's products, Fisher-Price. "Now, Fit for a Kid
has taken child passenger safety to a new level and established a model for
both the motor vehicle and child safety seat industries. We are very proud to
be a partner in this nationwide initiative."
The National Safety Council is coordinating the Fit for a Kid inspector
training. "Traffic fatalities and injuries among children are an epidemic. In
addition to 1,000 fatalities a year, traffic crashes injure an estimated
50,000 children under eight. Fit for a Kid is part of the vaccine," said
National Safety Council Executive Director for Public Affairs Chuck Hurley.
More than 2,000 new child safety seat inspectors will join the 28
Washington, D.C. inspectors by the end of next year -- doubling the number of
inspectors in the United States. Each inspector undergoes an intensive 32-hour
course using the current Standardized Child Passenger Safety Training Program,
developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Once
inspectors complete the course, they are certified through AAA.
"Our dealers are excited about Fit for a Kid," said Tom Loveless, zone
manager for DaimlerChrysler dealers in the Washington, D.C. area. "Everyday
our customers ask questions about safety seats and where to go for help. Now,
we will be able to give our customers the expert help they need." Loveless
said the service will be available initially at Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and
Plymouth dealers. Mercedes dealers are expected to offer the service next
year.
DaimlerChrysler also will make available to customers and install -- free
of charge -- top tether hardware. Tethers are designed to improve forward-
facing child seat performance in crashes by limiting the forward motion of the
car seat.
Fit for a Kid is one of several DaimlerChrysler safety initiatives. Other
safety programs include The Back is Where It's At, Do the Buckle, The Neon
Drunk Driver Simulator, and Stop Red Light Running. DaimlerChrysler also is a
partner in the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign.