VW and Audi Launch Sit Safe Child Passenger Safety Program

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., July 9 -- While 96 percent of parents believe they install their child safety seats correctly, it is estimated that an astounding 85 percent of children who are placed in such seats are improperly restrained. Volkswagen of America, and Audi of America, Inc. have become two of the first automakers in the United States to offer an ongoing dealer-based child passenger safety program in which dealership employees will become certified child safety seat inspectors.

Under the new program, called Sit Safe, Volkswagen and Audi are offering dealership employees a comprehensive training course to make them certified experts in the field of child passenger safety.

Sit Safe will allow parents to learn proper installation techniques, and have their child safety seats inspected by certified professionals at Audi and Volkswagen dealerships across the country. All vehicle types and brands are welcome.

Sit Safe initially encompasses a four-day education program in which Volkswagen and Audi will put select dealership employees through 32 hours of classes, using the curriculum approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The training program covers child passenger safety laws, as well as hands-on training in the proper inspection and installation of child seats. Each four-day session ends with a Sit Safe event where members of the community are invited to have their child safety seats inspected by a trained dealership employee. From there, each participating dealership will offer free inspections at their respective facilities on an ongoing basis.

"Safety is a primary concern for parents and for us," said Gerd Klauss, CEO of Volkswagen of America, Inc. "Our program will serve as an educational and safety-focused resource for our drivers. Sit Safe will allow parents to bring any make and model vehicle to their nearest participating Audi or Volkswagen dealership, confident in the certified specialists who will be examining their child safety seats."

The Sit Safe initiative is being launched this month in the southeastern region of the U.S. Training will continue at Volkswagen and Audi training centers across the country over the next several months. Training is provided by Partners in Prevention, Inc., a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Michigan, with offices in Colorado and Wisconsin.

Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and is a wholly owned subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, the world's fourth largest automaker. As America's top-selling European brand, Volkswagen markets a full line of vehicles through a network of 600 dealers in the United States.

Audi of America, Inc., headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, set an all-time U.S. sales record of 83,283 cars sold through 260 Audi dealers in 2001, the company's sixth consecutive year of double-digit growth. Its parent company, Audi AG, is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Germany, and markets a line of luxury cars built in plants in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm, Germany, and in Gyor, Hungary.

"Sit Safe" and the Sit Safe design are trademarks of Volkswagen of America, Inc.