Volkswagen Announces Continued Commitment to its Sit Safe(TM) Child Passenger Safety Program

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., April 7 -- In recognition of World Health Organization's (WHO) 2004 World Heath Day advocating "Road Traffic Safety," Volkswagen of America, Inc. announced today that it will continue to expand its dealer-based Sit Safe(TM) Child Passenger Safety Program that provides training to dealership staff in the U.S. and Canada to become child safety seat specialists who can then offer free education, advice and child seat inspections to customers in their communities.

Volkswagen of America, Inc., which includes the Audi brand, is responding to the alarming fact that car crashes kill more children under 14 than any illness or injury.(1) One factor in this tragedy is that about 90 percent of child restraint systems are being used incorrectly, often unknowingly.(2) Volkswagen of America, Inc. is one of a few automotive manufacturers to offer a dealer-based program that is also open to police officers, fire fighters, health care professionals and child advocates.

Sit Safe initially includes a four-day, 32-hour education program using the National Standardized Child Passenger Safety Training Program Curriculum developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The training covers child passenger safety laws, injury prevention, crash dynamics, occupant protection -- as well as extensive hands-on training in the proper selection and installation of child seats.

Each 32-hour session ends with a Sit Safe event where members of the community are invited to have their child safety seats inspected, regardless of their vehicle's type and brand, by a trained Volkswagen or Audi Child Passenger Safety Specialist. From there, each participating dealership is encouraged to offer free inspections at their respective facilities on an ongoing basis.

Now in its third consecutive year, Sit Safe has trained hundreds of professionals in over 220 participating Volkswagen and Audi dealerships in 24 states. Last year, Sit Safe held 29 child seat check-up events in communities across the U.S. and Canada and nine this year so far with another 18 planned through September.

Training is provided by Program Professionals, Inc., a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Wyandotte, Michigan.

Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker.

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

(1) According to NHTSA

(2) According to Sit Safe's field data