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U.VA. HEALTH SYSTEM WOMEN'S PLACE TEAMS UP WITH LOCAL AGENCIES TO GIVE FREE CAR SEAT SAFETY CHECKS

Is your child a safe passenger when riding in your car? More than likely not. According to Albemarle County firefighters, approximately 95 percent of children’s car seats that they check are not installed correctly. This is a problem, car seat technicians say, that parents cannot solve alone.

That's why the University of Virginia Health System Women's Place and the U.Va. Police Department, in partnership with several other local agencies, are offering free car seat safety checks to help parents make sure their children are riding as safely as possible. On Saturday, Feb. 17, the last day of Child Passenger Safety Week, technicians will be on hand from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at State Farm Insurance at Pantops Mountain, and at Toys R Us on Route 29 North in Charlottesville.

Car seat safety technicians also say that recommendations are always changing, and parents need to be kept up to date on the safest way for their children to ride in cars.

The largest safety study to date on what happens to children in car accidents is being conducted by State Farm Insurance and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said Diane Farineau, car seat safety coordinator for U.Va. With the results, they are able to figure out what changes need to be made or what regulations should be put in place with regard to children using car seats or booster seats.

To pass this knowledge on to families in Central Virginia, U.Va. is teaming up with State Farm Insurance Company, the Albemarle County Police Department, Albemarle County Fire and Rescue, and the Virginia State Police Department. Representatives from these organizations have been trained to be car seat safety technicians. They will make sure that car seats they see are properly installed and are a proper fit for the child.

This event will be postponed in the event of inclement weather. For more information about car seat safety a hotline is available at (804) 243-5862.

February 13, 2001