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Fairfield County SAFE KIDS will mark National Child Passenger Safety Week by holding a free Child Safety Seat Clinic from noon – 4 p.m. on Saturday, September 27, at KARL Chevrolet HUMMER, 261 Elm St., New Canaan. The KARL Company of New Canaan and Greenwich, which has been recognized nationally for its award-winning customer service and vigorous support for consumer safety, has sponsored these free events at least twice a year since it hosted Fairfield County’s first safety seat check in 1998. “Our dealership has always had a strong commitment toward safety,” observed Stephen J. Karl, Vice President of The KARL Company. “We sell a high percentage of vehicles to families with young children, and our staff continually stresses the importance of using properly secured seat belts, as well as car seats, at all times,” he stated. Families are invited to bring their vehicles (all makes and models), along with their children’s safety seats and ideally the children who will use the seats to KARL’s New Canaan Chevrolet HUMMER Dealership during the Safety Seat Check on September 27. A certified Car Seat Technician will inspect each seat to make sure it is the right model for the vehicle, properly sized for the age/height/weight of the child, and that it has not been recalled or damaged. The technicians will install the seat properly and show parents how to install it properly themselves. The whole process usually takes 15 – 20 minutes per car seat. “Events such as this save children’s lives and significantly reduce injuries,” remarked Robert J. Cordes, Managing Director for Fairfield County SAFE KIDS and a retired police officer with the New Canaan Police Department. “In a crash, a child restrained incorrectly is 3 1/2 times more likely to be seriously injured than a child who is properly restrained. Most parents are surprised to learn that their child’s safety seat is not doing its job,” he said. “At our free Child Safety Seat Check at KARL Chevrolet HUMMER in New Canaan last March only one of the 52 car seats we inspected was installed incorrectly, which is still fairly typical for these events. We found multiple incidents where the parents were using the LATCH system and the seatbelt system together -- you should use one or the other,” Mr. Cordes noted. “Families also need to know that most vehicle LATCH child restraint systems, found in new cars since the fall of 2002, are only rated up to 48 pounds -- we are seeing a lot of people surpass that. If a child weighs more than 48 pounds, the car seat should be secured only with a seat belt. Although a child age 4 or 40 pounds can be moved to a booster seat, we recommend that parents continue to use a car seat with a five point harness as long as the child fits in it. Many convertible car seats manufactured today have harnesses that are rated up to 65 pounds,” he commented. “We also continue to find many seats that are installed too loosely or with incorrect harness positions. A correctly installed seat will meet the one-inch movement from side-to-side test, and parents using the newer convertible seats should refer to the instructions to determine the proper harness position for their child’s size and weight. If the harness on a forward-facing seat is threaded through the wrong rung, it will snap in a crash,” he said. Mr. Cordes reminded parents that Connecticut law requires drivers to use a booster seat to restrain children who outgrow their car seats until the child reaches age 6 and weighs at least 60 lbs, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that most children should remain in a federally-approved car seat until they are approximately 80 lbs and 4'9" in height. “To work properly, seat belts need to ride on bones, which are the strongest parts of the body. For a child under age eight who’s not using a booster seat, seat belts still cross the neck and stomach; in a high impact crash that can cause permanent injuries to the spinal cord, spleen and other internal organs,” he remarked. “SAFE KIDS Worldwide and the American Pediatric Association are also now recommending that parents keep their child in a rear-facing seat as long as possible, as long as the child fits properly in the seat,” Mr. Cordes continued. “Rear-facing is the safest way to travel, because the back of the car seat absorbs energy in case of an accident. Connecticut law requires that children travel in rear-facing car seats until they are a year old and weigh 20 lbs,” he added. “We are also still seeing seats that have been recalled or have been in a crash -- if a car seat has sustained a vehicle crash it may have tiny fractures that make it unsafe for continued use, and parents should replace it to ensure their child is still riding safely,” Mr. Cordes observed, noting that two seats inspected at the March event had dangerous defects and were replaced. “Parents can find the current list of recalled child safety seats on the National Highway and Transportation Safety Association’s Web site at www.nhtsa.gov. Information about vehicle crash test ratings, tire safety and more is on www.safercars.gov,” he added. Mr. Cordes observed that the September event marks the latest in the KARL Company’s long record of significant contributions to Fairfield County SAFE KIDS and to the cause of consumer safety. Last March Safe Kids Worldwide recognized KARL for “its outstanding partnership and support for Safe Kids Fairfield County and the Safe Kids Buckle Up program.” Safe Kids Worldwide plans to use thus partnership as a model to promote the growth of collaborations in other parts of the country. “It’s not often that I hear of a dealership that has made the safety of children such a priority,” observed Edward J. Peper, Jr., General Manager of the Chevrolet Motor Division of the General Motors Corporation, which sponsors the Buckle Up program. “Karl Chevrolet has taken its commitment to safety to an unprecedented level with consistent and generous support to Safe Kids Fairfield County,” he said. In 1998 KARL sponsored the first safety seat clinic in Fairfield County, and in 1999 KARL Chevrolet HUMMER became the first dealership in Connecticut to have a certified Car Seat Technician on staff. In 2007 KARL donated a HUMMER H3 to Fairfield County SAFE KIDS for use in transporting equipment for a variety of safety programs; the dealership had previously donated a Chevy TrailBlazer and a Chevy Avalanche to the organization. In 2003 the National SAFE KIDS organization recognized KARL’s “outstanding leadership and lasting contribution to the field of child passenger safety,” and in 2005 KARL was the only dealership in Fairfield County and one of only seventy-five honored nation-wide by the organization for their commitment to child passenger safety. In 2006, the Board of Directors of Fairfield County SAFE KIDS presented KARL Chevrolet HUMMER with The Safe Kids Community Partnership Award for their outstanding support of the Coalition and the children of Fairfield County. Fairfield County SAFE KIDS’ mission is to reduce unintentional injuries sustained by children age 0-14. The Norwalk-based nonprofit coalition, formed in 1998, is sponsored by Danbury Hospital. It provides education to the community about proper installation and use of car seats, water safety, bicycle safety, fire prevention and safety in the home. For more information, visit its Web site at www.fcsafekids.org. Founded in 1927, the KARL Company operates the award-winning, customer-focused Chevrolet HUMMER Dealership at 261 Elm Street in New Canaan, one block west of the Metro North train station, along with KARL Automotive Service of Greenwich, located at 1330 East Putnam Avenue, just off I-95 exit 5. To reach KARL Automotive Service of Greenwich, call (203) 637-1711 or e-mail KarlAutoSvc@karldirect.com. Visit the KARL Dealership on the Internet at www.karldirect.com, read its blog at blogs.karldirect.com or call KARL Chevrolet at 966-9508 or toll-free at 1-800-321-KARL; call HUMMER by KARL toll-free at 1-877-8HUMMER. © Copyright by StamfordPlus.com. Some articles and pictures posted on our website, as indicated by their bylines, were submitted as press releases and do not necessarily reflect the position and opinion of StamfordPlus.com, Stamford Plus magazine, Canaiden LLC or any of its associated entities. Articles may have been edited for brevity and grammar. Related Articles: The Loft Artist Association presents "Landscapes on the mind" - Apr 18, 2008 - 11:23 AM KARL Chevrolet HUMMER kicks off annual scholarship promotion - Apr 2, 2008 - 3:05 PM KARL Chevrolet HUMMER is 2007 Toys for Tots co-sponsor - Nov 20, 2007 - 1:15 AM Model Ts to Mustangs Classic Car Show Drives into Stamford May 5 - Apr 30, 2007 - 5:04 AM CURRENT HEADLINES: Top of Page
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