DCH Auto Group Launches New Holiday-Themed Safe Driving Campaign

SOUTH AMBOY, N.J., Nov. 29, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- DCH Auto Group is pleased to announce the launch of its holiday-themed safe driving public service advertising campaign. This campaign, utilizing the "InTEXTicated" concept previously launched in September, will ask drivers to be safe this holiday season by not texting and driving.  As with the earlier ads, students from DCH-sponsored Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) chapters had the opportunity to vote on the design – all submitted by students from DCH-sponsored high school SADD Chapters.  The winning entry, by Michael Rios from Elmwood Park Memorial High School, Elmwood Park, N.J., was selected as the best design for the new campaign.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101129/PH08618 )

For this version of the student design competition, DCH Auto Group asked students from DCH-sponsored SADD chapters in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and California to create ads utilizing the "InTEXTicated" concept but add a holiday-theme. The entries were voted on through the DCH Auto Group Website and thousands of votes were cast during the week-long voting process.

The winning design by Mr. Rios will appear on highway billboards and at New Jersey area train stations.  The runner-up entry, by Stephanie Puckett, also from Elmwood Park Memorial High School, will also be produced for outdoor advertising as part of the campaign.

"InTEXTicated" is defined by UrbanDictionary.com as "People that text and drive in a daze and aren't paying attention to driving."  The U.S. Department of Transportation reports drivers who use hand held devices are four times more likely to get into a serious crash, serious enough to injure someone, and The Harvard Center of Risk Analysis estimates that cell phone activity contributes to 636,000 motor vehicle crashes, 330,000 injuries, and 2,600 fatalities, each year.

"The number of car crashes as a result of people using their mobile phones while driving is cause for concern," said Shau-wai Lam, Chairman of DCH Auto Group. "The holiday season is such a wonderful time of year, but it can turn very tragic if drivers give in to distraction and not abstain from texting while driving."

DCH Auto Group would also like to recognize its business partners, who contributed their time and resources to help launch this safe driving campaign.  "We are very grateful to CBS Outdoor Advertising and Titan Advertising for donating space for the 'InTEXTicated' campaign," said George Liang, President of DCH Auto Group. "Their generous gifts are a tremendous help in getting the message out that texting and driving is distracting and potentially deadly."

DCH Auto Group is committed to helping teens drive safely with its Mindless Driving. Keep It Out Of Cars® initiative, an exclusive, long term, teen-focused, driving-safety community outreach program.  The focus is to keep "it"—as in, mindless driving—out of our teenagers' cars. This means not driving distracted, driving recklessly, or driving under the influence, to name a few.

The cornerstone of the program is DCH's affiliation with SADD. DCH Auto Group is the exclusive automotive dealer sponsor of SADD in New Jersey, southern New York, Fairfield, Connecticut, and southern California, and has agreed to help launch new SADD chapters in local area schools. Through this agreement, DCH Auto Group provides both financial support and support from its employees.

About DCH Auto Group

Headquartered in South Amboy, NJ, DCH Auto Group comprises 27 auto dealerships in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and Southern California from Oxnard to San Diego, featuring a full line of new and pre-owned vehicles.  The company is highly invested in principles for success that value customers and employees.  DCH Auto Group is committed to giving back to the communities in which its dealerships operate and employees and customers live.  The company is dedicated to its teen safe driver program, "Mindless Driving. Keep It Out Of Cars," and is a sponsor of Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD).  For more information, please visit www.DCHAuto.com.

SOURCE DCH Auto Group