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Child Saftey Consideration #1

9 February 1998

AAA and NHTSA Say Child Safety Top Factor In Selecting A New Car

    ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 9 -- The most important consideration in
selecting a new automobile should be the safety requirements of the owner's
entire family -- especially child passengers, according to AAA and the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
    To help shoppers select a vehicle with the safety features needed to
protect children, AAA and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
have created a brochure, "Buying a Safer Car for Child Passengers."
    The brochure is being unveiled as part of National Child Passenger Safety
Week (February 8-14), a national effort to raise awareness of the need to take
special precautions when transporting children in cars and light trucks.
    "This brochure is critical reading for every parent," said Dr. Ricardo
Martinez, NHTSA administrator.  "It can help a parent make a buying decision
that could save their child's life."
    "Before consumers shop for a vehicle based on performance or appearance,
they should look for appropriate safety features such as child safety seat
compatibility and a rear center seat lap/shoulder belt," said David Van
Sickle, director of AAA Automotive and Consumer Information.
    The 21-page "Buying a Safer Car for Children" brochure provides a
checklist of questions parents should ask when shopping for a new or used
vehicle.  Factors to be considered include:
    * How many children will you be transporting?
    * What are the ages and sizes of the children?
    * Will you be installing child safety seats?  Where will you place them?
    * Will the vehicle safety belt system meet the needs of your children?
    * How frequently will you remove or install the child safety seats?

    Based on answers to those questions, "Buying a Safer Car for Child
Passengers" helps consumers select a vehicle that meets their family's
specific transportation needs.  Charts in the brochure list safety features on
77 popular new cars and trucks, including manual air bag on-off switches,
built-in child safety seats and rear center seat lap/shoulder belts.
    The brochure also reminds parents to transport children under 12 in the
back seat, have all passengers properly secured and properly install child
safety seats.  Parents are advised never to use a rear facing child seat in
the front seat of a vehicle with an active air bag.
    The brochure will be available later this month at most AAA clubs or can
be obtained by calling NHTSA Auto Safety Hotline at 888-DASH-2-DOT.
    AAA is a not-for-profit federation of 97 clubs with more than 1,000
offices providing 40 million members in the U.S. and Canada with travel,
insurance, financial and auto-related services.
    AAA news releases can be downloaded from the following sites:
AOL -- Keyword:  AAA; Click on "News and Events," "News Releases."
INTERNET -- http://ww.aaa.com/news/news.html

SOURCE  American Automobile Association