Free Child Safety Seat Inspections for Customers by Appointment
14 December 1999
DaimlerChrysler Launches 'Fit for a Kid' in Richmond, Williamsburg, Hampton Roads Areas: Free Child Safety Seat Inspections for Customers by Appointment; DaimlerChrysler is World's First Automaker to Offer Child Safety Seat Inspections as a Customer Service Working With Fisher-Price and the National Safety Council
RICHMOND, WILLIAMSBURG, and HAMPTON ROADS, Va., Dec. 13 -- On
any given day in the Richmond, Williamsburg and Hampton Roads areas, an
estimated eight out of ten children are at risk in safety seats that are not
properly secured. Help has arrived with a new DaimlerChrysler service called
Fit for a Kid.
Now, DaimlerChrysler customers in the Richmond, Williamsburg and Hampton
Roads areas 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,
senior vice president, regulatory affairs and passenger car operations,
DaimlerChrysler. "Each year, about 1,000 children eight years of age and
under are killed on our nation's roads. Well-intentioned parents simply do
not realize that they may be installing their child's safety seat incorrectly.
With Fit for a Kid, we want to help prevent countless injuries and deaths
among children."
DaimlerChrysler's new Fit for a Kid safety seat inspection service will
serve more than 12,800 children a year in the Richmond, Williamsburg and
Hampton Roads areas. By the end of 2000, the service will create the capacity
to inspect more than 800,000 seats a year, compared to about 30,000 inspected
in 1998 at community events throughout the nation.
Fifteen dealers offer the service in these areas. To find a nearby dealer,
customers can call 1-877-FIT-4-A-KID or click on http://www.fitforakid.org. 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 on-going 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 Ken Mitchell,
senior vice president lifestyle 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 25 in the
Richmond, Williamsburg and Hampton Roads areas by the end of 2000-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 Richmond, Williamsburg and Hampton
Roads areas. "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.
Fit for a Kid
Participating Dealers for the Richmond, Williamsburg and
Hampton Roads Area
Green Gifford Motor Corp
2747 N Military Highway
Norfolk, VA 23518
Greenbrier CPJE
1414 S Military Highway
Chesapeake, VA 23320
Greenbrier Dodge
1717 S Military Highway
Chesapeake, VA 23320
Haynes Jeep Chrysler/Plymouth
9520 W Broad Street
Richmond, VA 23294
Pence CPDJ
11409 Washington Drive
Ashland, VA 23005
Pomoco Auto Group (Hampton)
4116 W Mercury Blvd.
Hampton, VA 23666
Pomoco Auto Group (Newport News)
12629 Jefferson Avenue
Newport News, VA 23602
Quinn Motors
Highway 17
Gloucester, VA 23061
Rappahannock Motors, Inc.
16057 James Madison Parkway
King George, VA 22485
Starr Motors
2584 Pruden Blvd.
Suffolk, VA 23437
Tysinger Motors
2712 Magruder Blvd.
Hampton, VA 23666
Virginia Beach Dodge
3443 Virginia Beach Blvd.
Virginia Beach, VA 23452
Whitten Bros
10701 Midlothian Pike
Richmond, VA 23235
Williamsburg Dodge
7277 Richmond Road
Williamsburg, VA 23188