AAA Texas Hosts Major Booster Seat Giveaway

    HOUSTON--Oct. 6, 2001--AAA Texas is hosting a major booster seat giveaway on Saturday, Oct. 6, 2001.
    More than 500 booster seats are expected to be distributed and installed by certified child safety technicians to individuals who have already registered with United Way.
    The Boost America! event will kick-off at 8:30 am and wrap-up at 5:00 pm at the AAA Texas' office located at 3000 Southwest Freeway.
    AAA Texas, Ford Motor Company, The United Way, The International Center for ¶ Injury Prevention (ICIP), Texas Children's Hospital -- Center for Injury Prevention and the Harris County Sheriff's Department are partners of the event.
    The leading cause of death for children (up to age 14) is motor vehicle crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Using car safety seats, reduces the risk of death for infants and toddlers up to 71 percent.
    Booster seat use in Texas is only about 17 percent, leaving thousands of children at risk of injury or death. "Booster seats are the least utilized of all safety seats due to lack of awareness about them," says Rose Rougeau, public affairs specialist for AAA Texas. "Many parents believe that once their child outgrows a convertible seat (generally up to 40 pounds), they do not need to be placed in another seat. That is a misconception -- the next seat for a child, is a booster seat," she adds.
    As of Sept. 1, 2001, Texas law requires all children under age four or 36 inches tall to ride in proper restraints. For a child, weighing 40 to 80 pounds, the proper restraint is a booster seat.
    The booster seats are a courtesy of Ford Motor Company's Boost America campaign.
    Texas has been serving Texans since 1902. AAA Texas offers its members a full service travel agency, auto-related and financial services, as well as public safety programs and legislative advocacy.