SGI CHILD RESTRAINT CLINIC RESULTS

Released on October 25, 1999

Over 2,700 Saskatchewan families know their children are buckled up safely,

thanks to child restraint safety clinics sponsored by SGI this summer. The

free, drive-through clinics were held at locations across the province between

May and October, offering tips on the proper installation of a car seat.



"From a survey done last year, statistics show only 50 per cent of children

under the age of five in Saskatchewan are properly restrained in a vehicle,"

SGI's Supervisor of Traffic Safety Promotion Shannon Ell said. "Our goal in

this year's campaign was to expand the number of people we could educate and

target rural areas. SGI CANADA brokers helped us do that, by working with

other agencies or hosting clinics in smaller communities we otherwise couldn't

have reached."



Child restraint clinics were held in 73 Saskatchewan communities this year,

more than three times the number of communities reached the year before. In

total, 91 free clinics were held across the province, where 2,718 car seats

were checked. Last year, 29 clinics were held, with just over 1,700 car seats

checked.



"We hope that parents will remember and use the information provided at the

clinics," Ell said. "Properly restrained children are the best way to prevent

injuries during a collision."



The Insurance Brokers Association of Saskatchewan (IBAS) sponsored a contest

"One Safe Trip Deserves Another," as an incentive for parents to attend a

clinic. Anyone who attended a clinic was eligible to enter a draw for a $4000

family travel voucher. The winner was selected by a random draw.



"Child safety is important to everyone and the Insurance Brokers Association of

Saskatchewan is proud to have been a part of the free child restraint clinics

held across the province this past summer," IBAS President Keith Wilson said.



The winner of the $4,000 travel voucher is Patti Martens of Saskatoon. Patti

is a mother of three who attended a clinic held at Grosvenor Park Shopping

Centre.



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For more information, contact:



Barbara Cross

Manager, SGI Communications

Regina

Phone: (306) 751-1347