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DaimlerChrysler Launches 'Fit For A Kid' in Minneapolis/St. Paul

9 September 1999

DaimlerChrysler Launches 'Fit For A Kid' in Minneapolis/St. Paul: Free Child Safety Seat Inspections for Customers by Appointment

    DaimlerChrysler is World's First Automaker to Offer Child Safety Seat
    Inspections as an Integrated Service Working with Fisher-Price and the
                           National Safety Council

    MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 9 -- On any given day in the
Twin Cities, an estimated eight out of ten children are at risk in safety
seats that are not properly secured.  Today, help has arrived with a new
DaimlerChrysler service called Fit for a Kid.
    Beginning today, DaimlerChrysler customers in Minneapolis/St. Paul will be
able to have their child safety seats checked -- for free, by appointment.  It
is the first service of its type in the world.  The service is a partnership
with Fisher-Price and with the support of the National Safety Council.
    "Traffic crashes are the leading killer of kids," said Susan Cischke,
vice president of safety affairs, DaimlerChrysler.  "Each year, about 1,000
children are killed on our nation's roads.  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."
    DaimlerChrysler's new Fit for a Kid safety seat inspection service will
serve more than 9,000 children a year in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
Once the program is rolled out nationally in early 2000, the service will
create the capacity to inspect more than 800,000 seats a year, compared to
about 30,000 inspected last year at community events throughout the nation.
    Minneapolis/St. Paul is one of four areas selected to pilot the new
Fit for a Kid service this fall.  The others are Denver, Colo., Sacramento,
Calif., and Washington, D.C.  Under the program, customers can call
1-877-FIT-4-A-KID or click on http://www.fitforakid.org to find a nearby
participating dealer. Then they can call the dealer directly to make an
appointment.
    "With Fit for a Kid, DaimlerChrysler has set a new standard for child
passenger safety for the entire auto industry worldwide," said Jim Hall,
chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).  "Incorrect
installation of child safety seats is a serious problem, and if every
automaker follows the leadership shown by DaimlerChrysler, the problem will be
addressed."
    In January 1999, the NTSB issued a nationwide challenge to develop a
network of permanent child safety seat fitting stations.  DaimlerChrysler's
Fit for a Kid is a direct response to the NTSB's call to action, and
DaimlerChrysler is the only automaker in the world to respond with a
comprehensive solution.
    Joining that solution is Fisher-Price.  "Every Fisher-Price product
represents an on-going commitment to safety and helping families get the best
possible start in life.  A significant part of that commitment is our line of
Safe Embrace car seats," said Ken Mitchell, senior vice president lifestyle
products, Fisher-Price.  "Now, Fit for a Kid has taken child passenger safety
to a new level and established a model for both the motor vehicle and child
safety seat industries.  We are very proud to be a partner in this nationwide
initiative."
    The National Safety Council is coordinating the Fit for a Kid inspector
training.  "Traffic fatalities and injuries among children are an epidemic.
In addition to 1,000 fatalities a year, traffic crashes injure an estimated
50,000 children under eight.  Fit for a Kid is part of the vaccine," said
National Safety Council Executive Director for Public Affairs, Chuck Hurley.
    More than 2,000 new child safety seat inspectors will join the
14 Minneapolis/St. Paul inspectors by the end of next year -- doubling the
number of inspectors in the United States.  Each inspector undergoes an
intensive 32-hour course using the current Standardized Child Passenger Safety
Training Program, developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration.  Once inspectors complete the course, they are certified
through AAA.
    "Our dealers are excited about Fit for a Kid," said Bruce Walker, zone
manager for DaimlerChrysler dealers in Minneapolis/St. Paul.  "Everyday our
customers ask questions about safety seats and where to go for help.  Now, we
will be able to give our customers the expert help they need."  Walker said
the service will be available initially at Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Plymouth
dealers.  Mercedes dealers are expected to offer the service next year.
    Fisher-Price will lend its child safety expertise and products to help
make the program possible.  Fisher-Price is contributing Safe Embrace car
seats as loaner seats for customers who need them.  The company also is
offering discounts on Safe Embrace Convertible Car Seats and Booster Car Seats
to customers who discover during the inspection that their current seat is not
safe.  Safe Embrace car seats were selected for the program because of their
design innovations and safety features, such as a built-in tether strap.
    DaimlerChrysler also will make available to customers and install -- free
of charge -- top tether hardware.  Tethers are designed to improve
forward-facing child seat performance in crashes by limiting the forward
motion of the car seat.
    Fit for a Kid is one of several DaimlerChrysler safety initiatives.  Other
safety programs include The Back is Where It's At, Do the Buckle, The Neon
Drunk Driver Simulator, and Stop Red Light Running.  DaimlerChrysler also is a
partner in the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign.