NADA Board Designates October Booster Seat Safety Month

NADA Board Designates October –Booster Seat Safety Month”

The following letter sent by NADA Chairman Charley R. Smith to all NADA members August 4, 2004.

This unprecedented industry-wide initiative, part of NADA’s national “Boost for Safety” campaign, depends on your active involvement. We urge you to be a part of this important initiative by hosting a child safety seat event in October.

While there has been progress on some fronts, and perhaps you’ve even held a safety seat event in the past, statistics show that there is still much work to be done:

àAuto crashes are the leading killer of children nationwide.

àEighty-five percent of booster-aged children between four and eight years old are not properly secured.

Dr. Jeff Runge, administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, will help kick off the campaign at a special child seat inspection day at a Houston-area dealership on September 23rd. We have commitments from dealers in all 50 states, but the more the better. To maximize national publicity, let us know about your event by e-mailing us at nadainfo@nada.org.

NADA has produced the resources you need, including:

àA “how-to” guide to hosting an inspection event, including links to finding technicians, media tips, fact sheets and step-by-step guidance;

àA consumer brochure on proper booster seat use for customer handout;

àA video for showing at the event and to provide to your local media.

These materials can be accessed on www.nada.org/boostforsafety. You can also request “hard copies” of the brochure and a broadcast-quality video by calling (703) 760-7562.

To further demonstrate what we dealers do in our communities, invite members of Congress – who will probably be home campaigning in October – to attend your safety event. As dealers and leaders, we can play a vital role in making the roads safer for children of all ages. This will not only help save lives, it will also help improve dealer image.