Avis Gives Kids a Boost for Summer Travel

'Rent One, Get One Free' Child/Booster Seat Deal Builds on NHTSA's 'Year of the Booster'

PARSIPPANY, N.J., June 3 -- The National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA) recommends that children age four through at least age eight (or until the height of 4'9") use a booster seat. However, the vast majority of American families still allow children in that age range to ride in motor vehicles using only a standard seat belt. To help promote proper booster seat usage, Avis Rent A Car System, Inc. announced today a June 1st through July 15th "rent one, get one free" child/booster seat special offer to spur parents to keep kids safe while vacationing this summer.

One 2003 study published by the Journal of American Medical Association estimated that belt-positioning booster seats can reduce by nearly 60 percent the risk of death and injury to children through age seven. In particular, booster seats appeared to sharply cut the risk of injuries to the abdomen and spine. Yet, NHTSA estimates that only 10-20% of children in the United States who should ride in booster seats currently do so.

"From child safety, to cell phone safety, to increasing the accessibility of our vehicles, Avis is committed to the well-being our renters," said Diane Karl, Vice President of Quality Assurance and Customer Care for Cendant Car Rental Group, parent company of Avis. "Many families vacationing with at least two children under the age of eight forget to bring a booster along for the elder child. This special offer aims to encourage parents to travel safely and remind them that Avis is ready to provide the right tools to do so."

Avis locations rent Evenflo child safety and booster seats for $8 per day to a maximum of $50 per rental. For rentals checked out between June 1 and July 15, if one seat is rented at the usual rate, a second may be rented for free. There is a maximum of one free seat provided per rental and reservations are required.

In 2002, Avis became the first car rental company to adopt the LATCH system ("Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren") for child restraint installation at its corporate-run U.S locations. Managers at all of its airport locations are trained to install the company's own seats using LATCH, which makes it easier to install seats correctly. Seats can be reserved online at http://www.avis.com/, by calling 1-888-777-AVIS, or by contacting a travel consultant.

As of May 2004, 25 states and the District of Columbia had enacted provisions requiring booster seat use by older child passengers. Other states are in the process of considering upgrades of their laws. Specific provisions vary from state to state.

For more information on child passenger safety visit http://www.boosterseat.org/ or http://www.buckleupamerica.org/.

About Avis

Avis Rent A Car System, Inc. and its subsidiaries operate the world's second largest general-use car rental brand, providing business and leisure customers with a wide range of services at nearly 1,800 locations in the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Latin American / Caribbean region. Avis is one of the world's top brands for customer loyalty, ranking as the number one rental car brand and the number one brand overall among 182 in the 2003 Brand Keys(R) Customer Loyalty Index, and tying for the highest ranking in the 2003 J.D. Power & Associates rental car customer satisfaction study. The company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Cendant Corporation , a diversified global provider of business and consumer services primarily within the real estate and travel sectors. For more information visit http://www.avis.com/ or http://www.cendant.com/media.