American Suzuki Sponsors Checkup for Kids' Safety Seats

16 October 2000
American Suzuki Sponsors Checkup for Kids' Safety Seats
    TORRANCE, Calif., Oct. 16 More than 90 percent of the car
seats inspected by trained volunteers at recent child seat inspections had at
least one error -- some of them potentially fatal.  Some of the most dangerous
problems are loose harnesses, safety seats not attached firmly to the car,
infants facing the front of the car or riding in front of an air bag, and
children being moved out of car seats before they are tall enough to fit
properly in vehicle belts.
    Families in the South Bay area of Los Angeles can find out if their
children's car seats are safe and being used correctly by buckling up the kids
and driving down to their local toy store on Tuesday, October 17, 10 a.m. to
2 p.m., at Toys R Us, 22035 Hawthorne Blvd., in Torrance.
    American Suzuki Motor Corporation is sponsoring a safety seat checkup
conducted by SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. and the Torrance Police Department.
    "This is an important community service and we're proud to sponsor
SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. in their effort to ensure the wellbeing of as many
children as possible," said American Suzuki Motor Corporation President Rick
Suzuki about the event.  "Our company sells a variety of vehicles that appeal
to families and this is another way we can work to make the ride safe and
comfortable for both kids and their parents."
    SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. Executive Director Stephanie Tombrello advises, "Our
inspection is very thorough, and our trained volunteers need to have enough
time to make necessary corrections.  It will be first come, first served, so
families should plan to arrive early or they may be turned away."
    For more information about using car seats correctly or to make a checkup
appointment, call the Safe Ride Helpline at 310/222-6860 (English) or
310/222-6862 (Spanish).  For information on the Internet, go to
http://www.carseat.org.
    Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) founded the Automotive Division of American
Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC), located in Brea, California, in 1985.  ASMC
markets automobiles in the United States through a network of 391 automotive
dealerships in 49 states.
    ASMC's parent company, Suzuki Motor Corporation, based in Hamamatsu,
Japan, is a diversified worldwide automobile manufacturer. Incorporated in
1920, SMC has 122 distributors in 175 countries.
    ASMC can be reached via the Internet at http://www.suzuki.com.   Journalists can
reach the American Suzuki media web site at http://www.media.suzuki.com, password:
road2suzuki.