Mitsubishi Motors and Kids Safety First to Conduct Safety Seat Checks at Mitsubishi Dealerships Nationwide During Fall Season

CYPRESS, Calif., Oct. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Fall is the perfect time to prepare for the unpredictable winter travel season, and to help your family get ready, Mitsubishi Motors and Kids Safety First (KSF), in conjunction with Dorel Juvenile Group USA, a division of Dorel Industries Inc. (TSX: DII.B, DII.A), will host fifteen child safety seat inspection checks at Mitsubishi dealerships and other venues in eleven states – Arizona, California, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio and Texas.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for children 3 to 14 years old.  Last year, 1,210 children in the U.S. were killed in traffic related incidents and 171,000 more children were injured.  National data show that 73 percent of child restraints are critically misused, and last year's Kids Safety First events saw an 84 percent misuse rate. YOUR family may be at risk!

When used properly, child restraints reduce the likelihood of an infant under the age of 1 being killed in a vehicle crash by 71 percent and by 54 percent for toddlers 1 to 4 years of age.  Booster seats reduce injuries by 45 percent over seat belts alone for children ages 4 to 8.  While many states have enhanced their requirements for child restraint use, recent studies show that only half of children ages 4 through 8 ride in any type of child restraints.

At the Kids Safety First events this fall, families will receive hands-on instruction from certified child passenger safety technicians on how to properly select, install and use their child restraint systems.  Certified technicians have been through extensive training with a national standardized course and have field experience.

"Your children rely on you to help keep them safe," said Jorgen Weterrings, co-founder of Kids Safety First, a CA-based 501(c)(3) organization. "We created the program because of our own experiences that child safety seats and booster seats were difficult to select and even more difficult to install correctly. Providing child safety seat inspections is a critical resource for parents and caregivers."

The all-volunteer, grassroots, non-profit organization provides free automotive child safety materials to police, fire and rescue, hospitals, schools and pre-natal centers throughout the United States.  Weterrings and Kids Safety First co-founder PK Shrivastava collectively have more than 40 years of experience in automotive technology and safety. 

Kids Safety First is providing $2,000 grants to local community partners who will manage the child safety seat events ($3,000 for the Camden, NJ event).

Dorel Juvenile Group USA is also collaborating in the effort by donating $1,000 worth of car seats for each event ($2,000 for the Camden, NJ event). Unsafe and expired seats will be replaced, ensuring that children leave the events with dependable equipment. Dorel is the largest manufacturer of children's car seats globally, with 90 percent of the Company's North America car seats produced in Columbus, Indiana.  Dorel's portfolio of leading car seat brands includes Cosco, Safety 1^st, Eddie Bauer and Maxi-Cosi. 

"The safety of children while riding in a motor vehicle is at the forefront of our mission.  We believe our partnership with Kids Safety First allows us to reach hundreds of families and truly make a meaningful difference in their lives," said Dave Taylor, President and CEO of Dorel Juvenile Group.

The scheduled child passenger safety inspection stations are as follows:

All Star Mitsubishi – Sat. 10/20/12; 10am-1pm
2440 SPID
Corpus Christi, TX
361.814.1000 for Seat Check Appointments      

Anaheim Mitsubishi – Fri. 10/26/12;  9am-2:30pm
1300 South Auto Center Drive
Anaheim, CA
714.532.8631 for Seat Check Appointments

Andy Mohr Mitsubishi – Sat. 10/20/12; 1-3pm
13927 Trade Center Drive                               
Fishers, IN 
317.776.4104 for Seat Check Appointments            

Columbus Mitsubishi-North – Sat. 10/20/12; 9am – 12pm
8600 N. High Street
Columbus, OH
614.334.2602 for Seat Check Appointments   

Columbus Mitsubishi-West – Sat. 10/27/12; 11am – 2pm
3880 Fishinger Blvd.
Hilliard, OH
614.334.2602 for Seat Check Appointments    

Continental Mitsubishi – Sat. 10/20/12; 11am – 3pm
5800 S. Lagrange Road
Countryside, IL
708.354.1400 for Seat Check Appointments

Don Herring Mitsubishi – Wed. 10/24/12; 10am – 1pm
2901 W. Airport Frwy.
Irving, TX
214.590.4455 for Seat Check Appointments

King Mitsubishi – Sun. 10/21/12; 1 – 4pm
16160 Frederick Road
Gaithersburg, MD
301.742.1850 for Seat Check Appointments   

Mark Mitsubishi – Tues. 10/30/12; 9 – 11am
4434 W. Glendale Ave
Glendale, AZ
623.930.7328 for Seat Check Appointments  

O'Brien Mitsubishi – Sat. 10/20/12; 1– 4pm
1601 Fort Jesse Road
Normal, IL
309.828.1892 for Seat Check Appointments      

Renn Kirby Mitsubishi – Sat. 10/27/12; 1 – 4pm
5903 Urbana Pike
Frederick, MD
240.379.6010 for Seat Check Appointments      

Springfield Mitsubishi – Sat. 10/20/12; 2:30 – 5:30pm
313 Baltimore Pike
Springfield, PA
1.800.227.2358 for Seat Check Appointments 

VerHage of Holland Mitsubishi – Sat. 10/20/12 10am – 1pm
343 E. 8th St
Holland, MI
616.393.5720 for Seat Check Appointments

White Bear Lake Mitsubishi – Sat. 10/20/12; 9:30am – 2pm
3400 Highway 61
White Bear Lake, MN
651.483.9106 for Seat Check Appointments    

Mitsubishi Owners Day – Sat. 10/13/12; 12:30 –3 pm
Campbell's Field in Camden, NJ
401 Delaware Ave
Camden, NJ
856.968.8687 for Seat Check Appointments  

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON KIDS SAFETY FIRST:

Founded in 2004 by two Mitsubishi employees Jorgen Wetterings and PK Shrivastava, Kids Safety First is a CA based 501©(3) organization.  The all-volunteer, grassroots, non-profit organization provides free automotive child safety materials to police, fire and rescue, hospitals, schools and pre-natal centers throughout the United States.  To date more than 4 million sets of materials have been distributed across the country. For additional information, or to order materials, please visit www.kidssafetyfirst.org or "Like Us" on Facebook.

ABOUT DOREL JUVENILE GROUP:

Dorel Juvenile Group is a division of Dorel Industries Inc. (TSX: DII.B, DII.A,) a world class juvenile products and bicycle company. Now in its 50th year, Dorel creates style and excitement in equal measure to safety, quality and value. The Company's lifestyle leadership position is pronounced in both its Juvenile and Bicycle categories with an array of trend-setting products.  Dorel's powerfully branded products include Safety 1st, Quinny, Cosco, Maxi-Cosi and Bebe Confort in Juvenile, as well as Cannondale, Schwinn, GT, Mongoose, IronHorse and SUGOI in Recreational/Leisure.  Dorel's Home Furnishings segment markets a wide assortment of both domestically produced and imported furniture products, principally within North America. Dorel has annual sales of US$2.4 billion and employs 5,000 people in facilities located in twenty-two countries worldwide.

SOURCE Mitsubishi Motors