Detroit Area Ford Dealers Offer Free Child Safety Instruction
16 October 2000
Detroit Area Ford Dealers Offer Free Child Safety Instruction DETROIT, Oct. 16 Beginning today, October 16 at 3 p.m.,
participating Ford dealers in the Detroit metro area will provide free car
safety seat checks and instruction on how to properly restrain children for
their optimal protection while travelling in motor vehicles. The safety
checks will be held every week in the late afternoons and early evenings at
participating area dealerships. The seat checks will be available to everyone
who attends.
The initiative is part of the national Boost America! campaign sponsored
by Ford Motor Company in partnership with many prominent safety-minded
organizations including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) and the International Center for Injury Prevention.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among children. In
1999 alone, 2,008 children ages 15 and under were killed in crashes nationwide
-- 56 in Michigan. More than half of those children were completely
unrestrained, according to NHTSA.
Among the children who are restrained, NHTSA estimates that 85 percent or
more are incorrectly restrained. And while Boost America! is a highway safety
campaign designed to educate parents and children on the importance of booster
seats, the free safety checks will address the safety of children of ALL ages
and ALL types of restraints including:
* rear-facing infant seats (up to 20 pounds AND one year-old);
* forward-facing toddler seats (over 1 year-old and 20 to 40 pounds);
* belt positioning booster seats (approximately 40 to 80 pounds); and
* seat belts.
Boost America! educational materials will also be provided for parents who
are unaware of the importance of booster seats for their children who have
outgrown forward facing child seats but who are still too small for adult seat
belts to fit them properly.
As the name suggests, a booster seat boosts a child up so that the car or
truck's lap and shoulder seat belts fit properly. They are recommended for
children generally between 40 and 80 pounds, or roughly ages 4 to 8. If a
child is too small for an adult lap and shoulder belt, the lap portion of the
belt can rise over the child's abdomen and the shoulder portion of the belt
can cut across the neck and face potentially causing serious internal injuries
in a crash. Children also run the increased risk of slipping out of the belt
altogether and being ejected in a crash.
"Most people are not aware that booster seats are available, or that there
is a need to use them," said Lou Camp, Ford's Director of Automotive Safety.
"It's a gray area that needs additional attention. Ford and its dealers want
to educate people through Boost America! and give them the ability and
knowledge to properly position children of all ages in the vehicle."
A schedule of dealerships and times through late October is attached and
is also available to the public by calling (734) 324-5981. Additional events
are being added daily and will be updated on the phone line as they are
scheduled.
Boost America! will carry its message to every preschool and elementary
school in the country and provide one million booster seats to families in the
coming year -- half to low income families. For more information on Boost
America!, please visit our website at http://www.boostamerica.org .
Date & Time Dealership Information
Monday, October 16, 2000
3-6 p.m. Southgate Ford
16501 Fort Street
Southgate, MI 48195
Thursday, October 19, 2000
4-7 p.m. Tom Holzer Ford
39300 W. Ten Mile Road
Farmington Hills, MI 48335
Monday, October 23, 2000
5-8 p.m. Mel Farr Ford
24750 Greenfield Road
Oak Park, MI 48237
Thursday, October 26, 2000
4-7 p.m. Bill Brown Ford
32222 Plymouth Road
Livonia, MI 48150
Thursday, November 2, 2000
6-9 p.m. McDonald Ford
550 West Seven Mile Road
Northville, MI 48167
Monday, November 6, 2000
5-8 p.m. Roy O'Brien Ford
22201 East Nine Mile Road
St. Clair Shores, MI 48080
Thursday, November 9, 2000
3-6 p.m. Gorno Ford
22025 Allen Road
Woodhaven, MI 48183
Monday, November 13, 2000
5-8 p.m. Al Long Ford
13711 East Eight Mile Road
Warren, MI 48089
Thursday, November 16. 2000
3 - 6 p.m. Pat Milliken Ford
9600 Telegraph Road
Redford, MI 48239
Monday, November 20, 2000
4-7 p.m. Jack Demmer Ford
37300 Michigan Avenue
Wayne, MI 48184
Monday, November 27, 2000
4 - 7 p.m. Bob Thibodeau
26333 Van Dyke
Centerline, MI 48015
Thursday, November 30, 2000
6-9 p.m. Mike Dorian Ford
35900 Gratiot
Mt. Clemens, MI 48035
Thursday, December 7, 2000
4 - 7 p.m. Dean Sellers
2600 West Maple Road
Troy, MI 48084