California

State Farm Partners with Kids Are 1st to Encourage Child Passenger Safety

Over 500 people attended the Kidgets Safety Festival at the Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance on September 24 which was also National Safety Seat Check Day. Organized by the Kids Are 1st organization and sponsored by State Farm, the festival gave families the opportunity to learn more about child passenger safety and get their car seats checked out by a technician.

Kids Are 1st is a non-profit organization dedicated to protect children and educate families through a child ID program, child passenger safety seat checks, and teen impairment/distracted driving demonstrations.

State Farm Agent Ron Martinez and his team members Dave Garcia and Randy Packer connected with hundreds of families during the event. State Farm has a long history of supporting Child Safety Day events like this one. “It was a great way to help parents with the important yet often confusing task of keeping their children safe in the car,” Martinez said.

Research shows at least 70 percent of child restraint systems are used incorrectly, increasing the child’s risk of injury during a crash. Car seat technicians report that the most common mistakes include turning the car seat to a forward-facing position too soon, not strapping the child securely enough into the car seat, not securing the car seat tightly enough to the vehicle, and moving the child to an adult seat belt too soon.

State Farm Agency Executive Mary Ann Chicots from the Beach Cities Agency Field Office, and her team members Laurie Ickes and Nap Chan, were also at the festival supporting the efforts. “Partnering with our agents and Kids Are 1st is a great way to stay involved within our community and give back,” Chicots stated.

Chan agreed, “We’re proud to offer life-saving information to our customers and their families. Sponsoring this event is a way to show how much we appreciate being part of this community.”

For more information about child passenger safety, visit www.statefarm.com or www.nhtsa.dot.gov.

Slideshow on Kids are 1st Site
http://kidsare1.weebly.com/kidgits-safety-festival-at-del-amo-fashion-center-9-24-2011.html