DaimlerChrysler Launches 'Fit for a Kid' in Sacramento
21 September 1999
DaimlerChrysler Launches 'Fit for a Kid' in Sacramento: 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
SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 21 -- On any given day in
Sacramento, 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 Sacramento 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 6,000 children a year in the Sacramento 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.
Eight dealers in the Sacramento area will be providing this service.
Sacramento 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 Washington, D.C. 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 car seats 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 12
Sacramento 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 Marty Siegal,
DaimlerChrysler zone manager for dealers in Northern California. "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." Siegal 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.