2017 Illinois Child Passenger Safety Week Results

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: [Insert Date]

CONTACT: [Insert Name, Phone Number, E-mail]

Please Note: Prior to filling in the names of an organization or its spokespeople in the release below, you MUST contact them to obtain their permission. In addition, you must get their approval for the language of their quotations, and any changes they may require. Only after all of these steps have been taken should the release be distributed.

[Location]’s Seat Check Saturday Helps to Keep Kids Safe

Local Child Passenger Safety Technicians Check Car Seats for Eight Common Mistakes

[City] — As part of Illinois’ participation in National Seat Check Saturday, the [organization] held a successful car seat check on (insert date of event) at [location]. [Number] car seats were inspected by certified Illinois Child Passenger Safety Technicians, who ensured that parents and caregivers had the correct knowledge to make sure their car seats were installed and used correctly. Parents and caregivers also were reminded to register their car seats so they can be notified of recalls. Of the [Number] car seats checked, only [Number] were found to have been installed correctly before the event.

“Parents and caregivers walked away with peace of mind about their children’s safety,” said [spokesperson]. “By having their car seats checked, there’s no guessing as to whether their children will be safer in the event of a crash. Now they have the knowledge to install their child’s seat correctly each and every time.”

The free event was [organization]’s way of participating in National Child Passenger Safety Week, which ran Sept. 17-23. During Child Passenger Safety Week, AAA and the Illinois Department of Transportation sponsored 93 events statewide.

“Motor vehicle crashes are still a leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 1 to 19. According to Safe Kids Worldwide, of the 451 children age 8 and younger who died in motor vehicle crashes in 2014, 26 percent were not restrained in an age-appropriate seat,” [spokesperson] said. “Those are extreme numbers that could have been reduced if all kids had been riding securely in their car seats. An educational opportunity to have car seats inspected by a certified technician is an integral part of making the roadways in Illinois safer.”

Illinois parents do not have to wait for the next National Seat Check Saturday to make sure their car seats are installed properly. They can find a local certified technician by visiting www.safercar.gov to search for a car seat inspection station in their area

Parents look forward to their child’s milestones, such as moving from a forward-facing car seat to a booster, but National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that children remain in their harnessed car seats for as long as possible or until they reach the weight and height limits of the car seat.

For more information on Child Passenger Safety in Illinois, visit www.buckleupillinois.org.