Sept. 4, 2019

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Siona LaFrance, University Medical Center, (504) 702-3769, siona.lafrance@lcmchealth.org

Lori Moresi, Kergan Bros. Sonic, (318) 419-1993, lori@sonic-blast.com

Partnering with University Medical Center New Orleans and the Louisiana Passenger Safety Task Force (LPSTF), Louisiana’s 147 SONIC Drive-Ins donated $60,000 to provide free and professionally installed car seats for children in needy families throughout the state.

Applications for the program are available here. Seats are awarded to eligible recipients on a first-come, first-served basis while funds last, so interested families are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. The application deadline is Saturday, Sept. 14, 2019.

On August 1, 2019, upgraded laws went into effect regarding car seat safety in Louisiana. Children should use a child safety seat in the safest mode allowed by the child safety seat manufacturer, for as long as possible until outgrowing the seat by harness weight or height. With these more protective child safety seat laws, it is now more important than ever to ensure children are in the correct seat and properly restrained in their child safety seats. A video on the program is available here.

 “The SONIC car culture is an atmosphere we take pride in. It’s our mission to contribute to the safety of children since many families can’t afford life-saving car seats. We owe it all to the generosity of our customers,” said Ted Kergan, owner of Kergan Bros. Sonic Group, the state’s largest SONIC franchisee.

SONICs in Louisiana raised money through sales of the 2019 SONIC “Tot” calendar. This is the fourth year of the car seat donation program, which has raised a total of $223,000 and purchased 2,300 car seats since its inception.

“When used correctly, child restraints are the number-one factor in protecting our children in motor vehicle crashes,” said Bridget Gardner, a registered nurse and coordinator of the Community Injury Prevention Program at University Medical Center. “We’re excited to team up with SONIC for another year of reducing childhood injuries and fatalities across our state.”

About Louisiana Passenger Safety Task Force

The Louisiana Passenger Safety Task Force is a network of certified child passenger safety technicians who work to correct the installation of child restraints, encourage child safety seat and seat belt usage in motor vehicles, and provide resources to technicians and the community to reduce injuries and deaths from motor vehicle crashes. The LPSTF is an injury prevention special interest group run by the University Medical Center Trauma Program.

About University Medical Center

University Medical Center New Orleans, home to the Rev. Avery C. Alexander Academic Research Hospital, is the academic medical center of LCMC Health, a Louisiana-based, not-for-profit health system. University Medical Center serves as a key partner of LSU Health New Orleans, Tulane University School of Medicine and other academic institutions.

About SONIC

SONIC, founded in 1953, is the largest drive-in restaurant brand in the United States with more than 3,600 restaurants. Sonic is part of the Inspire Brands family of restaurants. For more information, visit SonicDriveIn.com and InspireBrands.com.

2019 SONIC_CarSeat Press Release

About author:

Planner II- Regional Transportation Safety Planner