THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 13, 1995 TAG: 9507130373
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH SIMPSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 44 lines
Close to 200 local children will receive free car-safety seats this fall as the result of a government settlement with General Motors.
The automaker is providing $2 million nationwide for safety seats, following a federal investigation into alleged safety defects in the automaker's pickup trucks.
GM is donating the money to three national safety groups to reduce deaths and injuries in auto crashes. One of the organizations - Operation Baby Buckle - will give about 200 car seats to Children's Hospital of The King's Daughters in late August to distribute to local families.
Mary Herbert Daly, manager of the hospital's social work department, said the need for free seats outstrips the supply. Families who are eligible for Medicaid, the government insurance system for the poor, can apply for free car seats through that program. But many ``working-poor'' families don't qualify for Medicaid, and they have a difficult time buying car seats for their children.
A typical car seat costs anywhere from $30 to $100.
The free car seats will be given to families of children who come through the hospital for treatment.
``We get a lot of referrals from nurses or physicians,'' Daly said. ``When the children are close to being discharged, we ask the parents if they have a car seat.''
Operation Baby Buckle also will be providing some seats made for children with disabilities. Those seats are more expensive than regular ones.
Operation Baby Buckle, based in Atlanta, was founded in 1993 to provide baby seats to families who might not otherwise be able to afford them and to educate the public on child-passenger safety.
Len Pagano, of Operation Baby Buckle, said the agency plans to distribute 20,000 car seats nationwide this year. by CNB