Maryland Automobile Dealers Association Launches Child Car Seat Safety PSAs - www.mdauto.org Lists Dealerships with Certified Safety Technicians

Annapolis, MD, April 19, 2008 --(PR.com)-- With summer travel season nearing, the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association is calling on parents to have their child’s car seats checked by a certified technician. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that while 96 percent of parents believe they know how to install a car seat, more than 70 percent of child car seats are installed incorrectly.

In response, MADA is circulating Public Safety Announcements to local radio stations, directing listeners to their Web site (www.mdauto.org) for a list of area automobile dealers who offer free inspections by certified safety technicians.

“As parents, our children’s wellbeing is always our number one priority,” said Peter Kitzmiller president of MADA. “Believe it or not, more than 90 percent of us think we are installing car seats correctly – yet most of us aren’t. A safety inspection by a certified technician is the number one way to ensure that your car seat is securely installed for maximum safety. The inspection is free and takes just a short amount of time.”

Among the most common child safety seat installation mistakes, according to NHTSA:

• Not using the right child safety seats for a child’s size and age;
• Not placing the child safety seat in the correct direction;
• Incorrect installation of the child safety seat in relation to the vehicle’s air bags;
• Incorrect installation and tightness of the child safety seat to the vehicle seat;
• Not securing or tightening the child safety seat’s harness and crotch straps;
• Improper use of locking clips for certain vehicle safety belts;
• Not making sure the vehicle’s seat belts fit properly across the child when using a booster seat; and
• Using a defective or broken child safety seat.

About the Maryland Automobile Dealers Association
Maryland Automobile Dealers Association (MADA) is a statewide association of new car and truck dealers managed by a Board of Directors, which consists of members representing districts throughout the State. MADA was founded in 1910 as a non-profit trade association for the purpose of: "facilitating the exchange of ideas among its members; to encourage sound business policies; to foster constructive motor vehicle legislation; to discourage destructive motor vehicle legislation, and to promote confidence, respect and good fellowship among all who are directly or indirectly engaged in the motor vehicle industry." For more information visit MADA online at www.mdauto.org.

###