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NTSB Gives DaimlerChrysler Award for Safety Leadership

8 June 2000

Jim Holden Accepts Outstanding Achievement Award for "Lifesaving Fit for a Kid Service"

  

    WASHINGTON - The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) presented 
DaimlerChrysler Corporation today with its outstanding achievement award for 
leadership in safety.  The Corporation earned this honor for its groundbreaking 
Fit for a Kid child safety seat inspection service.

    The NTSB noted that it is rare for a corporation to take the lead in
developing a program meriting this level of recognition. Past recipients of
the NTSB award include the Red Cross, Governor Jim Hunt of North Carolina and
various state, local and military organizations and individuals.

    "DaimlerChrysler Corporation has earned this unprecedented recognition by
setting a new safety standard for the automotive industry worldwide," said
NTSB Chairman Jim Hall.  "Fit for a Kid delivers a much needed, lifesaving
service to American families in a manner fully responsive to the NTSB's
recommendations.  In fact, it surpasses what we hoped for, and no other
corporation in the world has matched it for quality, scope or dependability."

    "It is gratifying to be singled out among corporate leaders for such a
prestigious award," said DaimlerChrysler Corporation President Jim Holden, who
accepted the award at a gathering of the Washington Automotive Press
Association (WAPA). "But most gratifying is the knowledge that with this
program, we are making a real difference in the lives of children across the
country."

    Noting that eight out of 10 children in safety seats are not correctly
restrained, the NTSB called for the establishment of permanent child safety
seat fitting stations in January 1999.  The Board urged the auto industry to
take a lead in providing a place for parents to go for help.

    DaimlerChrysler Corporation responded in June 1999 by announcing, with
Fisher-Price and the National Safety Council, the creation of Fit for a Kid, a
free child safety seat inspection service at its dealerships.  After a pilot
phase last fall, the service was rolled out nationally in February of this
year. The service is available to everyone, no matter what make or model
vehicle they drive. Currently, Fit for a Kid is available at 500 Five Star
Chrysler/Plymouth/Jeep and Dodge dealers with an estimated 500 more to be
added throughout 2000.

    In a recent study with the National Safety Council, the Corporation found
that 96 percent of caregivers believe they always install their children's
seats properly.  In reality, only 20 percent do.  The study also found that no
more than 19 percent of parents reported having their children's seats
inspected. To help alert parents of this dangerous problem, DaimlerChrysler
Corporation teamed up with the Emmy Award-winning public television character
Arthur to help promote the need for child seat inspections, and announced a
multi-million dollar advertising fund.

    In accepting the award Holden added, "There is no doubt that this program
is making a difference, and the proof of that is in the smiling face of little
Monica Halvey Litman."

    Three-year-old Monica Halvey Litman survived a serious three-car crash
unharmed just one week after her child seat was inspected and replaced with a
Fisher-Price Safe Embrace loaner seat at Miller Motors, a Fit for a Kid dealer
in Burlington, Wis.  Her mother, Barbara Halvey, suffered minor injuries in
the crash, and her family's Ford Contour sustained $7,000 worth of damage.
Yet Monica-perfectly restrained in the back seat-was without a scratch.

    "Miller Motors and DaimlerChrysler inspected Monica's seat even though I
drive a Ford Contour," Barbara Halvey told reporters.  "They loaned me a new
seat and made sure Monica was safe in it.  On behalf of my family and families
everywhere, thank you for this wonderful service."

    NTSB Chairman Jim Hall advised other families to follow the Halvey's
example.  "It's a 20-minute inspection and it could be the most important 20
minutes of your child's life," Hall said.  "I urge every parent to call and
make an appointment to have their child's seat inspected."

    Families can find a nearby Fit for a Kid dealer by calling toll free
877-FIT-4-A-KID or clicking on the Web site http://www.fitforakid.org.  Appointments
are made by directly calling a participating dealer.

    DaimlerChrysler delivers the Fit for a Kid service in a partnership with
Fisher-Price and with the support of the National Safety Council. Fisher-Price
provides child passenger safety expertise and loaner seats. The company also
is offering discounts on Safe Embrace Convertible Car Seats and Booster Car
Seats to caregivers who discover during the inspection that their current seat
is not safe. The National Safety Council coordinates the program's inspector
training and record keeping.

    Fit for a Kid is one of several DaimlerChrysler safety initiatives.  Other
safety programs include The Back is Where It's At, Stop Red Light Running, Do
the Buckle, and The Neon Drunk Driver Simulator.  DaimlerChrysler also is a
partner in the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign.