REMSA PROMOTES CHILD CAR SEAT SAFETY AT WINKLE MOTORS

June 12, 2003 – REMSA (Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority) and SAFE KIDS Washoe County will host a Point of Impact child safety seat inspection and replacement program this weekend at Winkle Pontiac GMC Hummer in Reno. The checkpoint will start at 11 a.m. (Be sure to be in line early as we can only accept the first 50 cars.) Trained staff and REMSA volunteers will be inspecting child car seats for correct installation and usage to make sure all children of families in our community leave safely.

This checkpoint is being held as a follow-up to the Point of Impact Charity Golf Tournament on June 6th. The tournament was a huge success and generated seed money for next year’s child safety seat inspection program. “Point of Impact checkpoints are vital to the safety of the children in our community and we greatly appreciate the generosity of everyone who participated with our tournament,” states Eric Guevin, Director of Community Education for REMSA and Director of SAFE KIDS Washoe County. “All proceeds raised will go to support injury prevention education and the purchase of new car seats and materials.”

According to the National SAFE KIDS campaign, 99% of all children eight years and under are improperly restrained. In Washoe County, 98% of children are improperly restrained. The National SAFE KIDS campaign recommends the use of child safety seats until children are 40 pounds and then the use of booster seats until children are 8 years old and 80 pounds or four feet nine inches tall. In addition, children ages two to five who are restrained in adult safety belts are three and a half times more likely to suffer a serious injury and greater than four times more likely to suffer a serious head injury than children of the same ages who are restrained in child safety seats.

REMSA’s Point of Impact child safety seat inspection and replacement program regularly hosts checkpoints where safety seats are inspected for correct installation and usage. Car seats and booster seats found to be unsafe or on a national or manufacturer’s recall list will be removed, destroyed and replaced at reduced costs and/or free of charge to qualifying families. This program is funded in part from the Nevada Office of Traffic Safety.

So far this year, REMSA has inspected 620 child safety seats, 14 of which arrived installed correctly. REMSA also distributed 231 new child safety seats for those in need.For more information about upcoming checkpoints please call 858-KIDS, or click here.

450 Edison Way Reno, Nevada 89502 (775)858-5700 Fax (775)858-5720