Chevrolet Teaches Child Passenger Safety at the British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi

ABU DHABI, UAE – March 16, 2009: Coinciding with the GCC Traffic Week, Chevrolet and Abu Dhabi dealer Bin Hamoodah Automotive bring the Buckle Up Safe Kids Campaign to the British School Al Khubairat in Abu Dhabi on 18th and 19th March, with the aim to educate the school’s primary students and their parents about the dangers of riding unrestrained and the importance of using child safety seats.

The British School Al Khubairat has been a keen follower of the Chevrolet Buckle Up Safe Kids Campaign since its launch in November 2008. “We share the same concerns and aim as the Buckle Up Campaign and we want to help make a difference in spreading the Buckle Up message to our students and staff but, most importantly, to parents about keeping our children safe as passengers”, said Mark Yeowell, Primary School Head Teacher, British School Al Khubairat. During the Buckle Up Campaign’s visit to Al Khubairat, specially trained promoters will instruct students, staff and parents on the correct usage of child safety seats. Junior students will be weighed and measured to determine whether they need to ride in a rear-facing, forward-facing or booster seat, or can safely use a seat belt. Each child will be issued with a certificate to take home, which will help their parents in making the right choice when purchasing a safety seat. Students will also be encouraged to write about the safety lessons they have learnt as homework.

Commenting on the Buckle Up Campaign’s visit to the British School, Issam Abdo, General Manager of Bin Hamoodah Automotive Company, said: “As Chevrolet’s dealer in Abu Dhabi, we have a commitment to our customers and the community to make sure that drivers and passengers alike are aware of all possible safety precautions available. The issue of child passenger safety is particularly important as the UAE has the highest rate of road deaths in the world. While Chevrolet cars are beautifully safe, we must also ensure that passenger behaviour does not contribute further to this figure. In turn, we are proud to support the Chevrolet Buckle Up Safe Kids Campaign’s initiative at Al Khubairat.”

The Buckle Up Safe Kids programme was launched in the UAE in November last year by Chevrolet/General Motors and Safe Kids Worldwide with the support of UAE National Transport Authority and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). It aims to raise awareness and understanding of the issues surrounding child passenger safety in the UAE and to prevent children from being injured and killed in and around vehicles. In particular, it focuses on encouraging the use of quality child car seats and educating the public on the dangers of leaving children unrestrained in cars, with the ultimate aim of making the use of child seats compulsory by law.

This Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative is part of General Motors and Chevrolet’s commitment towards the local community. The Safe Kids Buckle Up program was created in the United States in 1996 through a partnership between Safe Kids Worldwide and General Motors. Today the programme has inspected more than a million car seats for proper installation and has reached more than 19 million people at community events worldwide.