National Seat Check Saturday

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death to children ages 1 to 13. In a nationwide effort to educate parents about the importance of car seat safety during Child Passenger Safety Week (September 16-22), Safe Kids and the General Motors Foundation are asking every parent to take a few minutes for a car seat checkup.

Safe Kids Gwinnett is partnering with Jim Ellis GMC to host a National Seat Check Saturday event from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Jim Ellis GMC Mall of Georgia 4228 Buford Drive, Buford, GA 30518.  Certified child passenger safety technicians will be available to provide one-on-one “hands-on” help with installation.

Five safety steps every parent should take include keeping their children in rear-facing car seats for as long as possible, ideally until age two, selecting the correct seat for the weight, height or age of the child, tightening the harness enough, knowing when to let kids ride in the front seat and making sure the seat is installed properly.

Seventy-three percent of car seats are not being used correctly. Safe Kids analyzed data from more than 100,000 car seat inspections conducted through its Buckle Up Program, a national initiative established in 1997 by Safe Kids and supported by General Motors and the General Motors Foundation. Some findings proved that progress is being made, including that 98 percent of children arrived at car seat inspections in the back seat and 98 percent of the children were using some type of restraint.

“Correctly used child safety seats can reduce the risk of death by as much as 71 percent,” said Tania Diaz Safe Kids Gwinnett Coordinator. “It’s up to every parent to make sure car seats are used and installed correctly. Safe Kids and the General Motors Foundation are teaming up to show them how.”

“There is nothing more important than the safety of our children, and we’re encouraged by the progress that is being made,” said Mike Robinson, Vice President, Sustainability and Global Regulatory Affairs for General Motors. “To ensure that our children – our most precious cargo – are safe in cars, we recommend parents take 15 minutes to check their child’s car seat annually. Our children visit the doctor every year for an annual checkup; we need to give their car seats an annual checkup, too. A quick home checkup could save a life.”

About Safe Kids Coalition

Safe Kids Gwinnett works to prevent unintentional childhood injury, the number one cause of death for children in the United States. Safe Kids is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations dedicated to preventing unintentional injury. Safe Kids Gwinnett is led by The Gwinnett Department of Fire and Emergency Services. For more information, visit www.safekidsgwinnett.org .

About the General Motors Foundation

Since its inception in 1976, the GM Foundation has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to American charities, educational organizations and to disaster relief efforts worldwide. The GM Foundation focuses on supporting Education, Health and Human Services, Environment and Energy and Community Development initiatives, mainly in the communities where GM operates. Funding of the GM Foundation comes solely from GM. The last contribution to the GM Foundation was made in 2001. For more information, visit www.gm.com/gmfoundation.