DMV Becomes Site of First Permanent Fitting Station In The District of Columbia for Car Seat Inspections
19 September 2000
DMV Becomes Site of First Permanent Fitting Station In The District of Columbia for Car Seat Inspections
Innovative Partnership Between DC SAFE KIDS and DC Government Strives
To Keep Kids Safe in Cars
WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 Parents and caregivers of children in
the District of Columbia now have a convenient way of getting their child's
car seat inspected, thanks to an innovative new partnership between the DC
SAFE KIDS Coalition, the Department of Public Works District Division of
Transportation and the Department of Motor Vehicles.
Today, the DC SAFE KIDS Coalition and the partnering departments formally
unveiled the District's first permanent child seat fitting station. This
unique and free service, located at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)
Inspection Station at 1001 Half Street, SW, enables parents and guardians to
easily receive hands-on instruction from certified child passenger safety
technicians on the proper use of car seats. The check ups take place in a
lane designated for this service.
"This permanent fitting station will serve a critical need in the
continuing effort to keep children safe, while educating parents who may not
know the right way to install a car seat," said Heather Paul, executive
director of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign on behalf of the DC SAFE KIDS
Coalition. "By offering one centralized location to get vehicles inspected
and car seats checked, we believe awareness of child passenger safety will
increase and the number of children in the District who are not properly
secured in vehicles will decrease."
An estimated 40,000 children in the District of Columbia are of child seat
and booster seat age. Nationwide, approximately 30 percent of children ride
unrestrained in automobiles, and of the children who are buckled up, 85
percent are restrained incorrectly. The District mirrors those statistics.
Motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of unintentional injury-
related death among children ages 14 and under. However, car seats and safety
belts, when used correctly, reduce the risk of death by as much as 71 percent.
"The Department of Motor Vehicles is now a valuable resource for parents
and guardians who may be following the law, but may not properly restrain
children in their vehicles," stated Sherryl Hobbs Newman, director of DC's
Department of Motor Vehicles. "We are proud to join DC SAFE KIDS and the
Department of Public Works in getting the message out to the public."
District law states all children must be in an approved child safety seat
until they are at least three years old. Experts recommend that a child be in
a car seat or booster seat until they weigh approximately 80 pounds, usually
up to eight years old. Penalty for violation is $55 and two points on a
driver's license.
The District's permanent fitting station is located in lane eight at the
DMV's 1001 Half Street, SW location. Through the end of October, it will be
open every Tuesday and Thursday, from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., and every third
Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to noon. After that, both hours and days of operation
will expand.
More than 200 car seats have been checked since the fitting station began
operating in June of this year.
The DC SAFE KIDS Coalition is part of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign, the
first and only national organization dedicated solely to the prevention of
unintentional childhood injury -- the number one killer of children ages 14
and under. More than 290 State and Local SAFE KIDS Coalitions in all 50
states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico comprise the Campaign.
Former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, M.D., Sc.D., is chairman of the
Campaign.