SeatCheck

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About SeatCheck
Motor vehicle crashes remain the leading cause of death of children, ages 3-14. However, many of these deaths can be prevented through the proper use of child safety seats. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), child safety seats can reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and by 54 percent for toddlers, ages 1-4.

The problem is most parents and caregivers are unaware of the risk to children when they are not properly restrained in child safety seats. According to a study conducted by Chrysler, 96 percent of parents and caregivers believe their child safety seats are installed correctly, but NHTSA research shows that seven out of 10 children are improperly restrained, putting them at risk for serious injury or death in a crash. Chrysler is working to close this awareness gap through a program called SeatCheck.

SeatCheck is a national campaign to help parents properly secure their children in motor vehicles. Central to the program is a free child safety seat inspection locator service which is available at www.seatcheck.org and toll-free at 1-866-SEAT-CHECK. These SeatCheck resources provide a listing of more than 4,000 local inspection locations staffed by trained and certified child safety seat technicians, so finding one near you should be easy. The Web site and toll-free telephone assistance are available in both Spanish and English. In addition, the Web site offers parents and caregivers other useful information on keeping children safe in motor vehicles.

Promoting SeatCheck
Joined by committed partners and supporters, Chrysler reaches parents and caregivers through a series of SeatCheck promotional initiatives. The Corporation conducts a national advertising campaign in major parenting publications and promotes the importance of proper child safety seat use and installation through public education efforts. Graco Children's Products Inc. includes SeatCheck materials in its child safety seat products and NHTSA created and maintains the inspection locator database. The program's supporters also promote SeatCheck through their own outreach activities.

Through these initiatives, Chrysler and its supporters and partners have successfully linked parents with certified technicians convenient to them. Each month, the SeatCheck Web site averages 370,000 hits and the phone hotline receives more than 1,000 calls.

History
In 2000, NHTSA created an inspection locator as part of its Web site to help parents find child safety seat inspection locations. The locator includes a list of organizations and other entities that offer child safety seat inspections. It is the most comprehensive list of child passenger safety inspection resources throughout the country.

Chrysler created the SeatCheck initiative in 2002 along with NHTSA, the National Safety Council, Graco Children's Products Inc., Toys"R"Us and Babies"R"Us. The program expanded access to the inspection locator and promotes the inspection service to parents.