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Top Headlines

For Immediate Release
May 21, 1999

Contact:

Beryl Wolfe
(207) 775-5115

Web Site: http://www.martinspoint.org

Martin's Point Health Care Warns About Proper Use of Child Safety Seats in Cars

Crashes are the leading cause of death to American children.

On Memorial Day more than 5,000 law enforcement agencies across the nation will respond by conducting this year's first wave of Operation ABC Mobilization: America Buckles Up Children - the nation's largest coordinated crackdown on drivers who don't buckle up their children. A similar effort last year resulted in six million more people buckling up, according to a survey by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That translates into an estimated 670 lives saved each year if those people continue to use their seat belts.

"Sadly, hundreds of injuries and deaths could be prevented by remembering to buckle up and by correctly installing and using child safety seats," said Norman H. Seder, M.D., chief of pediatrics at Martin's Point Health Care.

Martin's Point Health Care is taking part in the national effort to get people to buckle up by offering free car seat safety inspections on Thursday, May 27, from 4 to 7 p.m. at its new Brunswick facility, located at the corner of Farley and Bath roads in Cook's Corner. Facilitated by Rick Urban from Maine Coalition for Safe Kids, the program enables area residents to drive up and have the installation of their car seats inspected by an expert. Urban also will instruct participants about the proper way to install infant and toddler car seats as well as offer information on what type of car seat to use.

In Maine in 1997, more than 3,800 children under age four were involved in car accidents, according to the Maine Department of Public Safety. Restraint devices were not used in as many as 236 of those accidents, and 27 more involved children with restraint devices incorrectly used.

"The correct use of child safety seats can reduce the risk of death by 69 percent for infants, and by 47 percent for toddlers," said Dr. Seder, a family practitioner at the new Brunswick facility.

"Parents need to start using their seat belts too, to provide a stronger role model for their children," added Colette C. Michaud, health education coordinator at Martin's Point Health Care in Portland. "Another problem is that some people believe they always secure their children, but in fact forget to buckle them up on short trips. Or, perhaps the car safety seat is not being used properly."

Operation ABC Mobilization is organized by the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Martin's Point Health Care, based in Portland at 331 Veranda St., has clinics in Portland, Brunswick, Windham, and in Newington, N.H. Established in 1981, Martin's Point has a staff of 240 health care professionals, serving approximately 43,000 patients in the areas of family practice, internal medicine, pediatrics, radiology, cardiology, mammography and other fields. Martin's Point holds a contract with the U.S. Department of Defense to provide health care services for retired military personnel and the dependents of active duty personnel, accepts all major health plans and insurance, including but not limited to HealthSource, Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Harvard Community Health Plan, Tufts Health Plan, Maine Partners, Champus, Tricare, Aetna, Cigna and NYLCare plans.

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