Auto Dealers to Promote Child Passenger Safety in September

MCLEAN, Va., July 13 -- The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) has designated this September as Child Passenger Safety Month. New car dealers across the country will host child safety seat inspections at their dealerships, as part of NADA's national "Boost for Safety" campaign, a program developed in partnership with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The September initiative coincides with the back-to-school timeframe, when many children will be on the roads each day.

"Parents will do the right thing if they have the right information," said William Bradshaw, NADA chairman and a new car dealer in South Carolina. "Unfortunately, many parents don't have the right information when it comes to child safety seats -- and dealers want to change that," he added.

More than 40,000 child passengers under age four are injured or killed in car crashes annually, according to NHTSA. The Agency reports that over 50,000 children between four and eight years-old are injured or killed riding in cars annually. Approximately 40 percent of children under the age of eight who die or suffer serious injuries in fatal car crashes are completely unbelted.

A list of participating dealers will be posted on http://www.nada.org/boostforsafety in mid-August.

The National Automobile Dealers Association, founded in 1917 and based in McLean, Va., represents approximately 20,000 new car and truck dealers holding nearly 43,000 separate franchises, domestic and international.