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SAFE KIDS coalition hosts Car Seat CheckUp, Feb. 11, 12 In observance of Child Passenger Safety Week, Trident Area SAFE KIDS Coalition is sponsoring a Car Seat CheckUp event.    The event will be held from 2 to 4 p.m., today, Feb. 11, at Babies 'R Us, 5900 Rivers Ave., North Charleston, and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 12, at Cumbie Chevrolet.    Trident Area SAFE KIDS is joining many of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign's more than 270 coalitions in stepping up efforts to remind parents about the importance of properly restraining children on every trip.   “Despite public awareness campaigns during the past few years emphasizing motor safety and more people becoming certified as child passenger safety technicians, we're still seeing about 30 percent of children riding completely unrestrained. About 85 percent of car seats continue to be used wrong,” said Amy Ethridge, Trident Area SAFE KIDS. “We're seeing progress, and more people at Car Seat CheckUps but still have a long way to go.”   Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths among children younger than 14.    Each year, more than 1,770 children younger than 14 are killed as passengers in motor vehicle crashes and about 274,000 are injured.    Restraining children incorrectly and nonuse of car seats contributes to these tragedies.    Findings from a 1999 car seat misuse study released by the National SAFE KIDS Campaign revealed that 85 percent of car seats examined during a car seat check up during 1997-98 were used incorrectly.   In an effort to multiply the reach and awareness of child passenger safety information in a manner convenient to families—especially those most at risk, the campaign is also launching a new Mobile Car Seat CheckUp Vans initiative.    One coalition in each state has received a Mobile Car Seat CheckUp Van donated to the BUCKLE UP program by General Motor's Chevrolet Division. The van is a customized model year 2000 Chevy Venture staffed by child passenger safety technicians and fully equipped to bring Car Seat CheckUps to parents throughout the local communities on a regular basis.    The Mobile Car Seat CheckUp vans are an extension of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign's five-year, $10.6 million partnership with General Motors.   “Although we've been successful at reaching parents who attend the car seat check ups at GM dealerships, we've learned that for those that do not go to dealerships, we need to take this service to them,” said Ethridge.   A list of CheckUps happening across the country is available through the National SAFE KIDS Campaign website at <http://www.safekids.org>    To receive free educational materials about how to use car seats and safety belts correctly, call (800) 441-1888.