Children’s Hospital and Allegheny County SafeKids’ Coalition Check to Make Sure Kids Have A Safe Seat

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For Immediate Release

Children’s Hospital and Allegheny County SafeKids’ Coalition Check to Make Sure Kids Have A Safe Seat

Pittsburgh, Pa. - April 9, 2002 -

Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County SafeKids’ Coalition want to assure children are protected when riding in a vehicle and are hosting a free car seat safety checkpoint to ensure motorist are properly protecting child passengers.

Motor vehicle accidents remain the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 14 and under, despite a 10 percent decline in the overall (adults and kids) death rate from 1987 to 1998. More than 95 percent of all car seats are installed incorrectly, said Barbara Gaines, MD, associate trauma director at Children’s Hospital.

Children’s will host a car seat checkpoint on Thursday, April 11, from 3 to 7 p.m., at Children’s North, 2599 Wexford Bayne Road, Sewickley.

“Using car restraints properly is so important when dealing with a child because trauma accounts for more than 40 percent of all child-related deaths,” said Dr. Gaines. “It is essential for families to use the appropriate car restraint system for all members of their family. This issue becomes even more important with children who are too small for regular seat belts.”

Unrestrained children are more likely to be injured, suffer more severe injuries, and die in motor vehicle accidents than children who are restrained properly. Results from previous safety seat checks have shown that 95 to 98 percent of all car seats are installed incorrectly despites parents’ best intentions.

Although the program is free and open to the public, appointments are required. For more information or to make an appointment, call 412-247-7821. Please allow 30 minutes for each car seat being checked.

For car seat safety information, please visit Children’s Hospital’s Web site at www.chp.edu and click on “Injury Prevention.”

Contact:
Melanie Tush Finnigan, 412-692-5016, Melanie.Finnigan@chp.edu

Last Update
February 20, 2008

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