MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As tens of thousands of Minnesota families hit the road for Thanksgivi...

1. New Child Car Seat Web Site Tells Parents ''You Can Do It!''
MINNEAPOLIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As tens of thousands of Minnesota families hit the road for
Thanksgiving, a new Web site will help them buckle up their children
safely for the holiday and for everyday travel. CarSeatsMadeSimple.org,
developed by the AAA Clubs of Minnesota and the Minnesota Safety
Council, in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety,
offers solutions to parents and other caregivers who face a confusing
array of child safety restraint choices and installation options.
"We want to provide caregivers with the proper
resources and the confidence that they can choose the right seat
and install it properly," said Randy Williams,
president of AAA Minnesota/Iowa. "Our hope is
that this will increase the correct use of all types of child passenger
restraints."
Drawing on a number of expert sources,
CarSeatsMadeSimple.org provides
detailed information about choosing and installing
the correct car seat
and avoiding common errors. The site answers
common questions, such as
when a child is ready for a booster seat or for a
vehicle's
lap and shoulder belt. Links to instructional videos
demonstrate the

2. correct use of car seats, booster seats and seat belts. The site also
provides Minnesota-specific information, explaining the requirements of
Minnesota's child passenger restraint law and
additional steps safety experts recommend. Installation checklists and
information about common errors and Minnesota law are also provided in
Spanish, Hmong and Somali.
"Parents and other caregivers hear that most
car seats are installed improperly and it shakes their confidence,"
said Carol Bufton, president of the Minnesota Safety Council. "But
a great majority of those errors are very basic and can be avoided."
Empowering parents, providing an accessible resource and reducing the
strain on community-based car seat clinics (which are often booked for
months in advance) were primary goals in creating the site.
"More children over the age of 2 die in motor
vehicle crashes than from all childhood diseases combined,"
said Steve Frank, president of AAA Minneapolis, "and
the best way to keep a child from becoming a statistic is to use the
right safety restraint on every trip."
To view the site, see http://www.carseatsmadesimple.org.
AAA offers automotive, travel, insurance and financial
services to
more than 49 million members in the United States and
Canada. The AAA
Clubs of Minnesota include AAA
Minnesota/Iowa, part of The Auto Club Group, and AAA
Minneapolis. The Minnesota

3. Safety Council is a private, not-for-profit educational organization
dedicated to preventing unintentional injuries at work, on the road, at
home and at play, and is a chapter of the National Safety Council. The
mission of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, Office
of Traffic Safety, is to reduce the number and severity of traffic
crashes in Minnesota.