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DaimlerChrysler Launches 'Fit for a Kid' in Denver

14 September 1999

DaimlerChrysler Launches 'Fit for a Kid' in Denver: Free Child Safety Seat Inspections for Customers by Appointment

    DaimlerChrysler Is World's First Automaker to Offer Child Safety Seat
    Inspections as an Integrated Service Working with Fisher-Price and the
                           National Safety Council

    DENVER, Sept. 13 -- On any given day in Denver, an estimated
eight out of ten children are at risk in safety seats that are not properly
secured.  Today, help has arrived with a new DaimlerChrysler service called
Fit for a Kid.
    Beginning today, DaimlerChrysler customers in Denver 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, vice
president of safety affairs, DaimlerChrysler.  "Each year, about
1,000 children are killed on our nation's roads.  By doing more than any other
automaker in the world to ensure that children are safely restrained in our
vehicles, we know we will prevent countless injuries and deaths."
    DaimlerChrysler's new Fit for a Kid safety seat inspection service will
serve more than 20,000 children a year in the Denver metropolitan area.  Once
the program is rolled out nationally in early 2000, the service will create
the capacity to inspect more than 800,000 seats a year, compared to about
30,000 inspected last year at community events throughout the nation.
    Today, 14 dealers will begin providing the Fit for a Kid service in
Denver.  By the end of October, a total of 24 dealers are scheduled to offer
service in Denver and the surrounding area.  Denver is one of four areas
selected to pilot the new Fit for a Kid service this fall.  The others are
Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn., Sacramento, Calif., and Washington, D.C.  Under
the program, customers can call 1-877-FIT-4-A-KID or click on
http://www.fitforakid.org to find a nearby participating dealer.  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.  "Every Fisher-Price product
represents an ongoing 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 Denver
inspectors by the end of next year -- doubling the number of inspectors in the
United States.  Today, there are 12 new certified inspectors in Denver.  By
the end of October, 16 additional inspectors will join the local team.  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 Fernando Falcon, zone
manager for DaimlerChrysler dealers in Denver.  "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."  Falcon said the service
will be available initially at Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Plymouth dealers.
Mercedes dealers are expected to offer the service next year.
    Fisher-Price 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.
    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.