Lee Health, Safe Kids Southwest Florida and State Farm® Team Up to Help Keep Kids Safe

Event to help ensure education and proper installation of car seats for the Southwest Florida community 

(Fort Myers, Fla. – May 13, 2024) --- Join Lee Health, Safe Kids Southwest Florida and State Farm® on May 18, 2024, at the Pine Manor Health Fair from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. for a car seat checkup with certified child passenger safety technicians on site. The health fair will be at 5547 Tenth Ave. #2864, Fort Myers, 33907.

The health fair is part of State Farm’s Good Neighbor Car Seat Safety Program, a national initiative to increase access to education and resources to help inspire behavior change and create a culture of safety for children and families. The safety technicians will work directly with families to educate them on the proper installation and use of car seats. 

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), car seats are estimated to reduce the risk of fatal injury in a passenger car by 71% for infants (younger than one-year-old) and by 54% for toddlers (one to four years old). And according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2021, 711 child passengers who were 12 years old and younger were killed in motor vehicle crashes in the United States.

This year, the Good Neighbor Car Seat Safety Program will bring car seat checkup events to communities across the country with the help of organizations like Safe Kids Southwest Florida.

“Studies examining misuse among users of child car seats estimate that more than half of car seats are not used or installed correctly. A properly used and installed child safety seat can reduce the risk of injury by as much as 71%, but too many families do not have access to the education and safety devices that every child deserves,” said Safe Kids Southwest Florida Coordinator Julie Noble. “Buckling up on every ride every time in the right safety seat is the single most effective way to protect a child and we are grateful to collaborate with State Farm to help raise awareness and ensure that families have the education and resources they need to keep their children safe.”

“State Farm is committed to helping kids stay safe From Car Seat to Driver’s Seat™,” said Property Auto-Express Claims Associate Cecilia Villalobos. “We are excited to work with Lee Health, Safe Kids Southwest Florida and local child passenger safety technicians on this fantastic opportunity to ensure that more parents have the tools they need to keep their kids safe on the road.”   

Car seats can also be properly installed at Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. To learn how to install a car seat, please contact a child passenger safety technician by calling the hospital’s Child Advocacy Department at 239-343-5101. Golisano Children's Hospital is located at 9981 S. Healthpark Dr., Fort Myers.

For more information on car seat safety, please visit www.leehealth.org.