"Buckle Up Kids" Campaign
In the lead-up to the holiday season, Holden
has expanded its free child-restraint checking service to include South
Australia as part of an ongoing commitment to family safety.
The Buckle Up Kids program has been designed to educate parents and
caregivers to correctly fit and make adjustments to child restraints, a
safety precaution that takes on even greater significance as thousands
of Australian families take to the road over the holiday season.
Holden aims to help educate Victorian and South Australian families
with the Buckle Up Kids program by offering the service to owners of
all vehicles – not just Holdens.
With RACV research showing up to 70% of child restraints are
incorrectly fitted*, Holden encourages Australian families to take
advantage of this important safety initiative.
This expansion of the Buckle Up Kids initiative closely follows
Holden’s announcement that all Model Year 12 Commodores are fitted as
standard with Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) seatbelts in the rear
seats. This important safety addition will further aid Australian
parents to adequately secure child seats in the rear of their vehicles.
The ALR is an improved way of securing child seats and operates via a
cinching mechanism made possible by a series of gears within the
seatbelt retractor. The ALR allows users to intentionally lock the
seatbelt retractor to secure a child seat in
place.
Holden’s Manager – Vehicle Structure and Safety Integration, Steve
Curtis, said: “Holden has a strong reputation for building great family
cars and a long history of safety leadership in this
country.”
“To be fully effective, a child restraint has to be properly fitted.
Buckle Up Kids offers practical support and advice to families so they
can rest assured that their child seat is properly installed.
“In addition to parents, we’re also encouraging grandparents and other
carers of children to check that they know how a restraint should be
fitted in their own vehicles as we know many families share child seats
between cars. Each time a seat is moved, it must be properly
reinstalled in the vehicle.
“In conjunction with the introduction of ALR retractor seatbelts into
Model Year 12 Commodores, Holden is reinforcing its ongoing commitment
to the safety of Australian motorists and their families.”
Holden has been providing free child restraint checking services to
local community groups and organisations since 2001.
RACV in partnership with VicRoads has set up
a network of Restraint Fitting Stations throughout Victoria to help
with installation of child restraints. For a small charge, a trained
installer can fit your restraint or check it to ensure it is installed
correctly.
Restraint Fitting Stations can also make necessary modifications that
may be required, in order to fit restraints into vehicles not equipped
with an anchor point. They will advise what is needed and what costs
are involved.
protect your child – ensure their restraint is fitted correctly
Don't fit the restraint yourself. Use a Restraint Fitting Station for
advice on installing and using the restraint. If possible, fit the restraint to the centre position of the rear
seat, because it will offer better protection in a side impact crash. Always keep the instructions that came with the restraint in a safe
place, like the glove box. This will help if you need to know how to
adjust straps or fit the restraint again. Every time the restraint is used check that the top tether strap (if
there is one) is firmly connected to the anchor point. Every time the restraint is used make sure there are no twists in any
straps or belts, and that these are taut and firm, but not too tight
and rigid.
Under the new Buckle Up Kids program, this
service offers free safety checks at events hosted by child care
centres, kindergartens, primary schools and Holden dealerships in
Victoria and South Australia.
The service will have a professional fitter on hand to give parents
easy to follow instructions and provide written summaries and advice.
To take
advantage of Holden’s free child restraint check service and/or apply
for a Buckle Up Kids event at your local community group/organisation
visit www.holden.com.au/buckleupkids
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