NTSB Chair Visits N. Bethesda Fitzgerald Dealership with Rep. Van Hollen

NORTH BETHESDA, MD – August 15, 2013          As children are heading back to school this month, parents are faced with making a checklist of school supplies and new clothes. However, the most important items for parents to focus on should be a school transportation safety checklist – the proper installation of child safety seats, school bus safety, pedestrian safety, and teen driver safety.

Under beautiful blue skies this morning, Jack Fitzgerald, CEO and Founder of Fitzgerald Auto Malls, welcomed National Transportation Safety Board Acting Chairman Deborah Hersman to a Back To School Transportation Safety event. Held at the monthly Child Safety Seat Check event at the Fitzgerald Auto Mall in Rockville, Fitzgerald spoke about the importance of the proper installation of child safety seats. The Fitzgerald Child Safety Seat Inspection Program started in 1999 after Fitzgerald became aware of the dangers of improperly installed child safety seats. As of this morning, Fitzgerald has installed and inspected 44,006 child safety seats. No other local volunteer program in the United States has ever achieved this many child safety seat inspections within a single program.

Acting Chairman Hersman spoke about key transportation safety issues for school-age children and the role the agency takes to recognize and issue safety recommendations aimed at preventing future accidents.

• Keep children safe with properly installed and appropriate child safety seats.
• School buses are the safest way to transport children to school everyday.
• Teen driver safety and teaching teens that driving is the most dangerous daily activity we undertake.

Congressman Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Captain Tom Didone with the Montgomery County Police Department, and Todd Watkins, Director of Transportation with the Montgomery County Public Schools spoke about working to keep our children safe with school bus safety and safe ways to get to school.

A school bus, pedestrian crossing simulator display, and child safety seat checks were available for parents, caregivers, and children to interact with and participate in discussions. Safe Kids Montgomery County was on hand to help.

Monthly child safety seat inspections and installations are held at the White Flint Rockville dealership on Nicholson Lane, on the third Thursday of every month.  Visit www.FitzMall.com for details or to make an appointment.