Fisher-Price and Ford Announce Availability of First Enhanced Car Seat
20 October 1999
Fisher-Price and Ford Announce Availability of First Enhanced Children's Car Seat System DEARBORN, Mich., Oct. 19 -- Imagine a child's car seat system
that is easier to use and provides for a more secure attachment in vehicles.
That system will be available as early as February 2000 because of efforts by
Ford Motor Company and Fisher-Price.
Fisher-Price today unveiled its new Safe Embrace II Convertible Car Seat
-- one of the first car seats to comply with new Federal regulations (referred
to as the Universal Child Safety Seat System -- "UCSSS" or "ISOFIX").
Intended to improve the interface between car seats and motor vehicles, the
new regulations require lower attachment hardware on all vehicles and child
restraints manufactured on or after September 1, 2002. In addition, the
standards have required most child car seat manufacturers to equip their car
seats with an upper tether strap as of September 1, 1999, to help meet more
stringent head protection requirements.
"Two years ago, Fisher-Price introduced the Safe Embrace Convertible car
seat, designed with a built-in tether to reduce forward motion. We were ahead
of the curve then, and so it makes sense that we be the first to make
available to parents, a car seat that meets all the new government standards
nearly two years ahead of schedule," said Ken Mitchell, Senior Vice President
Lifestyle Products.
Earlier this year, Ford announced that the 2000 model year Windstar will
be the first minivan to offer the universal anchor system. All Windstars
arriving in dealerships now are equipped with the anchors -- a year ahead of
the phase-in schedule established by the federal government. "It's important
to Ford to be part of the effort to give parents and other caregivers early
access to this new system," said Mary Ellen Heyde, Ford Windstar Vehicle Line
Director. "Safety is in Windstar's DNA. Our enhanced child safety seat
anchor system is another way to help our Windstar owners protect their
families."
More than 600 children under five are killed annually in motor vehicle
crashes and over 70,000 are injured, according to the National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration.
Most serious injuries result from not using child safety seats, not
installing the safety seats properly or not properly buckling the child into
the safety seat. A system that simplifies installation and increases the
effectiveness of child safety seats will help reduce fatalities and injuries.
The Ford Windstar system incorporates universal rigid, metal anchoring
points in the vehicle seat bight (where the seat back and cushion meet),
providing a secure and easy installation of the child car seat. The child
safety seat is connected directly to the metal anchor points in the rear seat
of the vehicle. The lower anchor points not only make installation of child
car seats easier and more secure, but eliminate the variability associated
with different vehicle safety belt/child safety seat designs and components in
the past.
The Safe Embrace Convertible Car Seat II is very similar to the original
Safe Embrace Convertible car seat (with built-in tether) introduced in 1997.
The primary difference is the addition of two flexible lower attachments for
use with the metal anchor points. Consumers simply hook the latchplate of the
lower attachments on the child car seat to the vehicle's anchor points, then
adjust the webbing to tighten the installation.
The universal anchor system is also available on model year 2000 Ford
Focus cars and will be phased-in over the next several years on all vehicle
lines worldwide. Vehicles in the U.S., Canada and Australia will also have
built-in anchors for a top tether strap. The built-in tether strap has been a
component of the Fisher-Price Safe Embrace Convertible car seat since its
introduction in 1997.
Ford Motor Company, with headquarters in Dearborn, Michigan, is the
largest producer of trucks, the second largest automotive manufacturer and the
world's second largest company, employing more than 340,000 people. Our focus
is satisfying customers through product excellence and maximizing shareholder
value through efficient, low-cost operations and profitable growth.
Fisher-Price, located in East Aurora, New York, is the leading brand of
infant and preschool toys in the world. The Company also designs and markets
high quality children's products, such as car seats and nursery monitors, that
give today's families the best possible start in life. The Company was
established in 1930 and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mattel, Inc.
.
