Nissan Partners With Koreatown Youth & Community Center and California Highway Patrol to Promote Child-Passenger Safety

LOS ANGELES, May 24, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, as part of its ongoing campaign to educate parents and caregivers across the U.S. about child car seat safety, Nissan partnered with Koreatown Youth and Community Center (KYCC) – one of California's leading Asian-American nonprofit community service and advocacy organizations – and the California Highway Patrol (CHP) to share vital information at a Quest for Safety™ event. The program focused on reaching parents through media serving this diverse community.

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During the program, CHP Officer Christian Baldonado provided an overview of California laws regarding children and safety seats while Lisa Kim, director of KYCC Children's Center, spoke about the challenges facing many Asian-American parents when it comes to properly securing children in vehicles and KYCC's efforts to educate parents on this critical issue.  Additionally, Nissan representatives provided an overview of passenger safety technology and demonstrated proper car seat installation using the all-new fourth generation 2011 Quest.

"Ensuring that children are properly secured in a correct-fitting car seat is one of the most important things that parents can do to protect their children in a vehicle," said Robert Yakushi, director, Product Safety and Environmental.  "Our goal with the Quest for Safety™ program is to work with community leaders, law enforcement and the media to educate as many parents and caregivers as possible with this message – regardless of the language that they speak."  

Nissan's award-winning Quest for Safety™ program began in 1998. It was designed to inform and educate parents and caregivers about child car seat safety and the proper installation and use of child safety seats and booster seats.  To date, the program has reached thousands of parents and caregivers through strategic partnerships with nonprofits and government organizations, as well as seminars, workshops, media events and strategic communications campaigns.

As part of the Quest for Safety™ program, Nissan has also developed the Snug Kids™ program.  In addition to tips on proper car seat installation, this industry-first program includes a comprehensive child safety seat fit guide.  Nissan engineers invested thousands of hours evaluating hundreds of child restraints to determine which ones fit best in each Nissan vehicle.

A recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report indicated that in 2006, the lives of an estimated 425 children under the age of five were saved by car and booster seat use.  However, according to another report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 72 percent of nearly 3,500 observed car and booster seats were misused in a way that could be expected to increase a child's risk of injury during a crash.

"Most parents try to do the right thing and follow the laws when it comes to car seat safety. Yet, too often, these child-restraint systems are used or installed incorrectly," said Yakushi.  "Community-wide outreach programs like Quest for Safety™, combined with education and enforcement campaigns like those offered by our partners here today, all support proper safety seat use and ultimately help save the lives of children."

For more information about the Quest for Safety™ program and to download the Snug Kids™ tip sheets and Child Safety Seat Fit Guide, visit http://www.nissanusa.com/snugkids.

About Nissan Americas

In the Americas, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing.  Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and was recognized as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 2010 and 2011. More information on Nissan in North America, the Nissan LEAF and zero emissions can be found at www.nissanusa.com.

About Nissan

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second largest Japanese automotive company by volume, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan and is an integral pillar of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 150,000 employees globally, Nissan provided customers with more than 4 million vehicles in 2010. With a strong commitment to developing exciting and innovative products for all, Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of fuel-efficient and low-emissions vehicles under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. A pioneer in zero emission mobility, Nissan made history with the introduction of the Nissan LEAF, the first affordable, mass-market, pure-electric vehicle and winner of numerous international accolades including the prestigious 2011 European Car of the Year award.

For more information on our products, services and commitment to Sustainable Mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.

SOURCE Nissan Americas