Dealer's Child Safety Program Highlighted by Congressman
David Manning, National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration; Thomas Dortch, 100
Black Men of America, Inc.; Roderick
Gillum, General Motors; Blair Taylor, Los
Angeles Urban League; Wes Bender, Safe
Kids Worldwide
DETROIT (March 1, 2008) —GM, in partnership with Safe Kids Worldwide and the Los Angeles Urban League (LAUL) Head Start and State Preschool, held a hands-on car seat clinic for Head Start families designed to teach parents how to best secure their children in vehicles.
"In the underprivileged communities of Los Angeles there are many concerns for a parent and some consider securing a safe car seat more a luxury than a necessity," said Blair Taylor, president of the LAUL. "The Safe Kids Buckle Up program allows us to educate these parents on the real importance of safely securing their children while ensuring parents have the resources to provide safe passage."
Approximately 50 families with more than 70 car seat-aged children were educated at the event. This was the sixth year the Safe Kids Buckle Up program has done a special event with the families from LAUL Head Start and State Preschool in conjunction with the NAACP Image Awards.
"General Motors has made a commitment that all families who come in to a Safe Kids Buckle Up car seat event will leave safer than when they arrived," said Roderick D. Gillum, vice president, GM Corporate Responsibility and Diversity. "It is equally important that we reach into communities that have fewer resources to ensure that those families have awareness, education and the tools to keep their children safer in vehicles."
Certified child passenger safety technicians representing Safe Kids coalitions across Southern California volunteered for the event.
