[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 154 (2008), Part 1]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 1528]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




          TRIBUTE TO JACK FITZGERALD AND FITZGERALD AUTO MALLS

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                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, February 6, 2008

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize a longtime 
advocate for child passenger safety, my constituent Jack Fitzgerald, 
President of Fitzgerald Auto Malls.
  As you may know, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death 
for children ages 2 to 14 and the leading cause of injury-related death 
for children under age 2. We know that when installed and used 
correctly, child safety seats and safety belts can prevent injury and 
save lives. In fact, young children restrained in child safety seats 
have an 80 percent lower risk of fatal injury than those who are 
unrestrained.
  In order to ensure that child safety seats are properly used and 
installed, car seat check-up events, like those sponsored by Safe Kids 
Worldwide, are essential. At these events, child passenger safety 
technicians teach families how to safely transport their children and 
help make sure everyone in a vehicle is buckled up correctly on every 
ride. On average, technicians spend about 30 minutes with each child. 
These events, most of which are open to the public, are conducted by 
Safe Kids coalitions in central locations such as automobile 
dealerships, hospitals, community centers and shopping centers.
  Since 1996, Safe Kids Worldwide has partnered with General Motors to 
help change the way parents and caregivers learn about child passenger 
safety. More than 13 million people have been reached by the Safe Kids 
Buckle Up Program and, to date, there have been more than 44,000 events 
that bring much needed car seat inspection services and education to 
families across the country.
  Safe Kids is well on its way to checking one million child safety 
seats. Part of this success can be attributed to Jack Fitzgerald of 
Fitzgerald Auto Malls. In February 1999, Jack teamed up with Safe Kids 
Montgomery County in my home state of Maryland to hold a car seat 
check-up event. At that event, Stephen Guarino, who was then 5 years 
old, was moved into a booster seat for a better fit just one day before 
the family vehicle was hit by a truck. Mrs. Guarino and the police 
officers on the scene credit the saving of Stephen's life in that crash 
to the services received at the check-up event.
  Since that incident, Fitzgerald Auto Malls has hosted hundreds of 
check-up events. Working with Safe Kids Montgomery County, local 
government agencies, and police and fire departments, Fitzgerald Auto 
Malls has inspected more than 35,000 child safety seats. The dealership 
hosts monthly car seat inspections free of charge for anyone in the 
community. If the monthly events are not compatible with a family's 
schedule, that family is encouraged to call the dealership to schedule 
a private appointment. This service is only possible because Jack 
Fitzgerald has personally paid for his employees to become nationally 
certified car seat technicians. In fact, more than 80 Fitzgerald Auto 
Mall employees have been trained to check a child's car seat for 
misuse.
  I am honored to commend Jack Fitzgerald and the entire Fitzgerald 
Auto Malls family for their outstanding contributions to and 
involvement in our community. I applaud them for being a role model for 
all public/private partnerships and for their steadfast commitment and 
determination to keeping kids safe on our Nation's roads. I ask my 
colleagues to join me in honoring Jack Fitzgerald, a remarkable 
advocate for America's children.

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