Nissan Announces 'Quest For Safety' Campaign
7 October 1998
Nissan Announces 'Quest For Safety' Campaign New, Nationwide Survey Shows 72 Percent of Parents Worry About Proper Use of
Child Safety Seats; In Fact, NHTSA Estimates 80 Percent Are Incorrectly Used
CARSON, Calif., Oct. 7 -- In an independent nationwide survey
released today on child passenger safety, commissioned by automaker Nissan,
nearly 9 out of 10 parents with children age 6 and under said they used child
safety seats consistently while riding in the car. However, 72 percent of
those same parents polled in the informal survey had worries or concerns about
the proper usage of these seats.
And they have good reason to worry -- an earlier study by the National
Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) showed that as many as 80
percent of child safety seats may not be properly installed or used.
SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A., the national non-profit organization dedicated to child
passenger safety, puts that number even higher, estimating as many as 95
percent may be incorrectly used, based on actual child safety seat checkups by
trained checkers across the country. Tragically, this may be one of the
reasons that 3,357 children in the U.S. under the age of 15 were killed in car
crashes last year and hundreds of thousands more were injured.
In a continuing commitment to safety, Nissan announced the launch of a
major child seat safety public service campaign in partnership with the
authors of the best-selling What to Expect(TM) parenting books. The campaign,
called "Quest for Safety," includes "The What to Expect(TM) Guide to Car Seat
Safety," a free booklet which offers simple, step-by-step instructions for
parents. It answers questions parents commonly ask, from when to switch to a
front-facing seat, to what to do if a child resists buckling up, to how long a
child should stay in a booster seat.
"The survey shows that parents have the best of intentions when it comes
to keeping their most precious little passengers safe in the car," said Heidi
Murkoff, co-author of The What to Expect Guide to Car Seat Safety. "But with
so many child safety seats not being installed correctly, it's clear that
parents need and want answers to their questions on car seat safety."
According to the survey, of the five greatest concerns parents had when
installing a car seat, the number one worry was whether the car seat was
installed too loosely in the car. Also high on the list was whether the
harness straps or retainer clip were adjusted correctly. A third of all
respondents were concerned about whether the air bag posed a danger to the
child. Other worries included whether the car seat was installed facing in
the right direction or whether the child had stopped using a car seat at too
early an age.
"As media coverage about the dangers of putting infants under a year old
into the front seats of cars with airbags has receded, the number of parents
engaged in this extremely risky practice has climbed -- from a low of
17 percent to 30 percent," said Stephanie Tombrello, executive director,
SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. "Another factor in this disturbing equation is that
adults who have become parents only recently were not paying strict attention
to this topic before they attained the rank of parent, making it necessary to
continue to reinforce this message."
Nissan plans to distribute 100,000 copies of The What to Expect Guide to
Car Seat Safety and is also asking pediatricians to join the campaign, by
sharing the booklet with parents when they bring their children in for a
checkup. In addition, Nissan has asked its 1,200 dealers to join the
grassroots effort by sponsoring local safety seat check-ups in their
communities, similar to a recent safety seat check-up pilot event held in
Sacramento, Calif.
"Safety on the road and in the car is a key focus for Nissan, and we are
proud to continue to provide important information to the general public on
the proper use and installation of child seats. With this information,
concerned parents and caregivers can sit back and enjoy the ride -- safely,"
said Jason Vines, vice president, Nissan North America, Inc.
To receive a free copy of "The What to Expect Guide to Car Seat Safety,"
the public may call the Nissan Quest for Safety Helpline at 1-800-955-4500.
Nissan's "Quest for Safety" campaign benefits The What to Expect
Foundation, which exists to help every mother have the best odds of a healthy
pregnancy and every baby have the best odds of a healthy start in life. The
Foundation's first program will provide low-literacy pregnancy guides and
videos free of charge to disadvantaged mothers across the country.
"What to Expect the First Year" and "What to Expect the Toddler Years"
provide the answers to all the questions parents ask during the first years of
parenthood, giving advice on hundreds of topics, from feeding and development
to health and safety. Along with What to Expect When You're Expecting and
What to Eat When You're Expecting, the books make up the best-selling
pregnancy and early childhood series that has sold 15 million copies in the
United States and is currently available in 23 languages in 27 countries
around the world.
In North America, Nissan's operations include styling, engineering,
manufacturing, sales, consumer and corporate financing, and industrial and
textile equipment. Nissan in North America employs more than 20,000 people in
the United States, Canada and Mexico, and generates more than 70,000 jobs
through more than 1,500 Nissan and Infiniti dealerships across the continent.
More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan
and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at http://www.nissan-na.com.
