FEATURE/Over 80% Surveyed Concerned That Speeding or Careless Drivers Pose Major Threat to Children in Their Neighborhoods, Yet Most Still Speed
CHARLOTTE, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE FEATURES)--April 30, 2002--Carsmart.com Takes One Woman's Grass Roots `Pledge' Campaign National;
Goal Is to Prompt Americans to Reconsider
Unsafe Neighborhood Driving Habits
According to a recent Autobytel Inc. survey (see note), the solid majority (66.7%) of respondents generally drive at least 5-10 mph over the speed limit -- this despite the fact that over 80% expressed concern that speeding or careless drivers pose a major threat to children in their neighborhoods. In an effort to improve Americans' unsafe neighborhood driving habits, online car-buying and information site Carsmart.com is taking a North Carolina woman's grass roots `Take The Pledge' campaign national. By `Taking The Pledge,' Carsmart.com visitors will be making a commitment to slow down and drive safely, attentively and courteously on neighborhood streets.
Home base for the company's fight for safer communities and saved lives is www.carsmart.com, where concerned citizens can take The Pledge (to "drive like you would in your neighborhood") online, or download it so that they can present it to family members, friends, neighbors and co-workers to sign. Visitors to the site can also access a range of safe driving tips, information and links, and request a `Take The Pledge' window sticker. As part of its effort, Carsmart.com has launched its 2002 New Vehicle Safety Guide on the Web site, which provides expert tips on buying a safer car, comprehensive vehicle and tire safety and recall information, and additional safe driving pointers.
The Pledge is the brainchild of North Carolina grandmother Sherry Williams, who first penned the safe driving credo last December in response to the growing numbers of aggressive, unsafe drivers in her otherwise quiet Charlotte neighborhood. She posted homemade signs in her front yard urging passersby to `Take The Pledge: Drive the Limit.' She also called five friends and urged each of them to take The Pledge (and asked each to call five friends and do the same, etc.). Her campaign sparked a groundswell of local support -- and ultimately effected a dramatic decrease in speeding and unsafe driving incidents in her community.
Her story soon reached Carsmart.com, one of online automotive marketing giant Autobytel Inc.'s three popular online car-buying services. Impressed by its message and clear, compelling call to action, the company volunteered to become The Pledge's official sponsor, offering its considerable public relations and marketing reach to take the one-woman neighborhood campaign to a national level.
"Our sites reach millions of car shoppers every month, and Carsmart.com, with its family-friendly orientation, provides an ideal platform to introduce The Pledge to active community members nationwide," said Jeffrey Schwartz, president and CEO of Autobytel Inc. "Sherry Williams has proven that one person really can make a difference. Now our goal is to, in effect, inspire `Sherry Williamses' in neighborhoods from coast to coast."
In addition to revealing a disconnect between people's concern for unsafe neighborhood driving and their actual driving habits, the Autobytel Inc. survey also affirms The Pledge's underlying premise that personal initiative -- as opposed to increased government spending or legislation -- is the most effective remedy. 76% of respondents indicated a belief that "change must come from `within' -- we must work to raise awareness of the dangers of speeding so that people will choose to drive more safely." In another notable finding, 74% of those surveyed indicated that they personally know somebody who has been involved, injured or killed in a speeding-related accident.
"Too many of us feel somehow absolved from accountability -- and common courtesy -- once we're behind the cloak of a car windshield," said Sherry Williams. "The goal of The Pledge is simply to make people more conscious of their driving, and how it impacts the safety of neighborhood kids and families. The good news is that The Pledge has already helped to make my neighborhood safer. The even better news is that my neighborhood is just the beginning."
On April 30th, Carsmart.com hosted a ceremonial kick-off event for its national Take The Pledge campaign at Alexander Graham Middle School, a couple of blocks away from Sherry's home. The event was attended by national and local media and a host of prominent public officials, including Charlotte Mayor Patrick McCrory, District Attorney Peter Gilcrest and Police Chief Darrell Stephens.
Note: Survey was conducted on Autobytel Inc. car-buying Web sites Autobytel.com, Carsmart.com and Autoweb.com from April 11-April 25, 2002.
ATTENTION EDITORS
A PHOTO OF THE TAKE THE PLEDGE KICK-OFF EVENT WITH SHERRY WILLIAMS WILL BE AVAILABLE AFTER 2:00 PM EDT OR VIA EMAIL REQUEST TO: KIM@RBICOM.COM
FOR COMPLETE SURVEY RESULTS, CONTACT BETSY SMITH ISROELIT AT 323.960.1360, EXT. 17, (CELL PHONE 213.300.0108) OR VIA EMAIL REQUEST TO: BETSY@RBICOM.COM
About Autobytel Inc.
Autobytel Inc. , the world's largest Internet automotive marketing services company, helps retailers sell cars and manufacturers build brands through marketing and CRM (customer relationship management) programs. Autobytel Inc. owns and operates the popular Web sites Autobytel.com, Autoweb.com, Carsmart.com and Autosite.com, as well as AIC (Automotive Information Center), a leading provider of automotive marketing data and technology.
Autobytel Inc. generated an estimated four percent of all domestic new vehicle sales -- $17 billion in car sales in 2001 -- for dealers through its Web sites. With approximately 8,900 dealer relationships and 30 international automotive manufacturer customers, Autobytel Inc. is the largest syndicated car-buying content network, reaching millions of unique visitors as they are making their vehicle-buying decisions. Autobytel Inc. content and technology has potential exposure to over 90 percent of total Web traffic.(1)
http://www.autobytel.com
(1) Jupiter Media Metrix October 2001 Digital Media Audience Report (Autobytel Inc. sites is the unduplicated audience of the Autobytel and Autoweb properties and Carsmart.com. The car-buying and ownership category as defined by Autobytel. Autobytel Inc. provides content to Yahoo! Inc., AOL Web sites, MSN.com and Lycos.com. The unduplicated audience of these four sites accounts for over 90 percent of total traffic.)
Note: A Photo is available at URL:
http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/photo.cgi?pw.043002/bb12