Research Study Reveals Preventative Vehicle Maintenance Important to Female Motorists

BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 16, 2004 -- In research conducted by the Automotive Aftermarket Industry Association (AAIA), it was revealed that 78% of women interviewed think that regular preventative vehicle maintenance is either "extremely important" or "important."

"This research reinforces the message we have been trying to get across, that preventative vehicle maintenance is an important issue for people, especially women, who are the primary decision makers when it comes to taking their car in for service," says Jennifer Tio, President of the Car Care Council Women's Board. "However, the research also reveals that only 68% of women actually follow their vehicle's maintenance schedule closely. This shows that we need to continue to reinforce our consumer education message points about making motorists more car care aware."

The AAIA study, titled "Vehicle Maintenance & The Female Motorist," reports on a variety of issues in regard to the attitudes and perceptions that drive women's behavior toward vehicle maintenance and repair. Among the issues addressed in the report are the perceived importance of regular maintenance, the awareness of need for maintenance and repairs and how decisions are reached in regard to vehicle maintenance.

As part of the "Be Car Care Aware" education campaign, the Car Care Council Women's Board offers a free service interval schedule to help take the guesswork out of what vehicle systems need to be routinely inspected and when service or repair should be performed. The schedule can be printed for free from the Car Care Council Women's Board Web site at http://women.carcare.org/.

The Car Care Council is the source of information for the "Be Car Care Aware" consumer education campaign promoting the benefits of regular vehicle care, maintenance and repair to consumers.