DAIMLERCHRYSLER FIRST AUTOMAKER TO OFFER
SCHEDULED CHILD SAFETY SEAT INSPECTIONS AS FREE SERVICE FOR
CUSTOMERS
In Cooperation With Fisher-Price And The National Safety Council,
"Fit For A Kid" Strengthens DaimlerChrysler's Leadership On Child Safety
Background on "Fit For A Kid"
(Washington, D.C.) For all the millions of parents who have struggled to make sure child safety
seats are in their vehicles correctly and worried that their children are safe in those seats-help is
on the way.
DaimlerChrysler Corporation (Corporate Site), in partnership with Fisher-Price, Inc. and with
support from the National Safety Council, today announced that it will become the world's first
automaker to offer to its customers free child safety seat inspections as an integrated service of
the corporation and its dealer network. The new service, called Fit for a Kid, will more than
double the number of certified child safety seat inspectors in the U.S. It will create the capacity
to inspect and ensure proper installation of 800,000 seats annually, compared to about 30,000
inspected in the U.S. last year.
"Today DaimlerChrysler declares an unprecedented commitment to child safety," said
DaimlerChrysler Chairman Robert Eaton. "Just as DaimlerChrysler checks your brakes, your tire
pressure and all your vehicle's safety systems, we will now make sure child safety seats are
properly installed in our vehicles. 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." Eaton noted that this is the latest in a series of safety initiatives in which
DaimlerChrysler has taken leadership.
Traffic crashes are the leading killer of kids. Studies show more than 60 percent of children
killed in vehicles are unrestrained and more than 80 percent of children in safety seats are
incorrectly restrained. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in January of this year
recommended the establishment of a system of permanent fitting stations to address the problem.
"We are very pleased that DaimlerChrysler stepped up to our challenge so quickly and with such
a far reaching response," NTSB Chairman Jim Hall said. "Fit for a Kid goes beyond what we had
even imagined -- beyond our suggestion of fitting stations -- to make child safety seat inspections
an integral part of the safety service for customers of one of the world's largest corporations.
Today DaimlerChrysler has set a new standard for child passenger safety for the entire auto
industry."
Susan Cischke, Vice President of Safety Affairs for DaimlerChrysler, said it will take more than
a year to train the full complement of 2,000 inspectors required for the program. She said the
service will be launched with a pilot in early September 1999, and will be available nationwide
starting in February, 2000 when certified inspectors at 500 dealers will be trained and ready. An
additional 500 dealers will be added six months later to create a network of 1,000 Fit for a Kid
dealers.
DaimlerChrysler customers will be able to call toll free 1-877-FIT-4-A-KID or go to a website
and get a list of Fit for a Kid dealers in their area. They will then be able to call the dealer
directly to make an appointment for the child safety seat inspection. The toll-free number will
also serve as a resource for all parents to receive information on child passenger safety.
"DaimlerChrysler customers won't have to rely on occasional community service events and
hope they hear about them or wait in line to have their child seats inspected," said John Gunning,
owner, Manassas Dodge of Manassas, VA. "With two phone calls, our customers will be able to
find a participating dealer in their area and make an appointment with a certified inspector to
ensure child safety seats are secure in their vehicle. Fit for a Kid is another way DaimlerChrysler
dealers can offer safety service leadership." During the first phase of the program, the service
will be available through Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth and Jeep dealers. Mercedes dealers are
expected to participate in the second phase.
Eaton said Fisher-Price will lend its child safety expertise and products to help make the program
possible.
"Fisher-Price is a leader in car seat development and a name families can trust to keep their
children safe. We are proud to partner in this unprecedented program which sets a new model
and a new standard for the entire industry," said Richard Garvey, Executive Vice President,
General Manager, Fisher-Price. "We are also very pleased to contribute Fisher-Price Safe
Embrace car seats as temporary loaner seats for those who need a seat until they can buy one."
Fisher-Price will also offer discounts on Safe Embrace seats to customers whose inspection
reveals they need a new one.
DaimlerChrysler also will make available to customers and install -- free of charge -- top tether
hardware designed to improve forward facing child seat performance in crashes by limiting the
forward motion of the seat.
Cischke said the National Safety Council will coordinate certified training and record keeping
for the program.
"The National Safety Council is very pleased to join with DaimlerChrysler and Fisher-Price in
Fit for a Kid," said Council President Gerard F. Scannell. "This represents an enormous step
forward in child passenger safety in the US. The sheer scale will tax the current systems for
training and certification of inspectors, but working with the entire safety community, we will
get the job done."
Cischke also noted DaimlerChrysler's Fit for a Kid would not have been possible without the
pioneering work of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to address the
problem and create a training curriculum.
Hundreds of DaimlerChrysler dealer employees will be trained in the months ahead. The
service will be piloted in four cities starting this fall and will be available nationwide early
next year. In the meantime, learn more about keeping your kids safe in your vehicle or
learn about child safety seat inspection special events currently available in your area.
Thank you for your interest in Fit For A Kid.
Go to Background on "Fit For A Kid" http://www.nsg.org.
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