WASHINGTON, D.C.
District of Columbia Permanent Fitting Station

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION
Despite numerous campaigns to promote the use of safety belts, child safety seats and child passenger safety laws in every state and the District of Columbia, motor vehicle crashes continue to kill and seriously injure children at an alarming rate. Each year, approximately 1,800 children age 14 and under are killed as occupants in motor vehicles, and more than 280,000 are injured.

According to the District of Columbia Office of Planning/State Data Center, the District currently has more than 40,000 children within child safety seat age and weight limits. According to the National SAFE KIDS Campaign study on car seat misuse, 85 percent of child safety seats nationwide are used improperly. Data for the District of Columbia reflect this national average. An estimated 11,600 D.C. children currently ride completely unrestrained. Of those children using child safety seats, approximately 24,000 are improperly restrained.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
In an effort to facilitate the process of checking child safety seats, and to ensure that the children of the District of Columbia are properly secured in safety seats and seat belts, the DC SAFE KIDS Coalition, the Department of Public Works District Division of Transportation and the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) collaborated in 2000 to establish the first District of Columbia Permanent Fitting Station. Objectives of this effort include:

• Provide a convenient way for parents to have their child safety seat installed as they have their annual vehicle inspection
• Offer the service free-of-charge to parents and caregivers
• Provide parents and caregivers the opportunity to have an American Automobile Association (AAA) certified passenger safety technician inspect and install their child safety seat, and educate them about important child passenger safety issues

STRATEGIES AND ACTIVITIES
Because the use of seat belts and child safety seats is typically lower among African American families, the District of Columbia Permanent Fitting Station will predominantly target the African American community. The fitting station is designed to allow parents and caregivers an opportunity to receive valuable information and instruction from AAA certified child passenger safety technicians. Technicians show them how to properly install their car seat, educate them on the importance of consistent use, and provide advice on graduating into the next larger seat, such as a booster seat. The fitting station also gives parents access to child safety seats for purchase at a discounted rate. The facility operates on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., and every third Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to noon, by appointment, or on a walk-in basis.

A significant number of DMV employees are scheduled to complete the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) four-day child passenger safety certification course, to become AAA certified technicians.

The fitting station is currently in the process of marketing this free service to the District's Spanish-speaking community, by distributing flyers in local community service centers and health clinics.

RESULTS
More than 300 child safety seats have been inspected and installed since the District of Columbia Permanent Fitting Station began operating in June 2000. As a result of the increasing traffic to the fitting station, DC SAFE KIDS will soon expand the facility's hours and days of operation. In addition to the DMV site, three other locations are currently being piloted as fitting stations. These sites include Children's Hospital, various District of Columbia Fire Department locations and the Chartered Health Care Center.

SUMMER 2000