Dealers: One Million Safety Seat Checks and Counting

Dealers are doing their part during September's Child Passenger Safety Month.

Thousands of new-car dealers nationwide are hosting free child-safety seat inspections at their dealerships as part of a national “Boost for Safety” campaign.

It is a program developed by the National Automobile Dealers Association in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The September initiative coincides with the new school year when many children will be on the roads each day.

“This will be the fifth consecutive year that we've sponsored a national child safety seat campaign,” says Dale Willey, NADA chairman. “So far, dealers have checked more than one million seats and found nine out of 10 seats either improperly installed or in need of replacement. This is a serious issue.”

More than 40,000 child passengers under age four are injured or killed in car crashes annually, and more than 50,000 children between ages four and eight are injured or killed each year while riding in cars, according to NHTSA.

About 40% of children under the age of eight who die or suffer serious injuries in car crashes are completely unbelted.

A list of participating dealers is posted on www.nada.org/boostforsafety in mid-August.