Not Even For a Minute Campaign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

07/13/2009

Precision Acura of Princeton, NJ CAR Partner with DCF on "Not Even For a Minute" Campaign

Safety campaign reminds parents, caretakers to never leave a child unattended in a car
Lawrenceville, N.J. - Precision Acura of Princeton and various members of the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (NJ CAR) are partnering this summer with the state Department of Children and Families (DCF) to promote New Jersey's "Not Even for a Minute" public awareness campaign, which urges parents and caretakers to never leave children unattended in a vehicle, where temperatures can rise to dangerous levels, especially in warmer summer months.

"Thanks to this partnership with car dealerships all across the state, we can reach more families than ever before. Parents and caregivers must know that an unspeakable tragedy can happen in a manner of minutes," DCF Commissioner Ricketts said. "The message is simple - no matter how busy you get, you must never leave a child in a vehicle unattended."

DCF has partnered with the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers (NJ CAR) to help spread this lifesaving message to families all across the state. Through this partnership, 90 dealerships - including Precision Acura of Princeton - have stepped up to participate in this campaign and offered to distribute posters, strip cards, and newly developed car window clings in both English and Spanish. A list of all participating dealerships can be found here: http://www.njcar.org/.

"We are very excited about this opportunity to help DCF reach families with this lifesaving message," Drew Sciaulino, VP of Precision Acura of Princeton, said. "The safety of the families we serve here at Precision Acura of Princeton are paramount, and we are glad to help in this effort to prevent children from being harmed."

Precision Acura of Princeton will be spreading the word with e-Mail blasts, on our website, Blogs, Facebook, Twitter and articles in our eNewsletter.

"New car and truck retailers throughout New Jersey have always been among the first to lend their support when a community needs to promote an important message and none is more important than the safety of our children," James B. Appleton, President of NJ CAR, said.

"Dealers want consumers and their families to enjoy their vehicles and there is no better way than to promote car safety, from proper car-seat installation and wearing seatbelts to the dangers of intense temperatures that an enclosed vehicle can reach during the summer months. NJ CAR is very proud of the dealers participating in this very important program."

A child left alone in a vehicle, even for a short time, is in danger of abduction, injury, dehydration and even death. Approximately 40 children die each year in the United States, and hundreds more are injured, from hyperthermia after being left unattended in a vehicle, according to a study published Pediatrics, the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics. One child died in New Jersey after being left in a vehicle last summer.

That same study noted that the temperature in a call can rise upwards of 19 degrees in just 10 minutes. The temperature inside a car can get dangerously hot, even in moderate weather with the windows slightly down.

"Not Even For a Minute" outlines tips for parents to help keep kids safe around cars, including:
Never leave a child unattended in a car. Not even for a minute.
Always lock your car and secure the keys so that your kids can't get to them.
Warn your children about playing in and around cars.
Install a trunk release mechanism so that kids can't get trapped inside the trunk.
Get your kids out of the car first, and then worry about unloading the groceries and items out of the car.

For more information on Precision Acura of Princeton and how you can access materials available at this location, please contact: Mitchell Brenner the e-Commerce Manager at Precision Acura of Princeton.

For more information on the state's "Not Even for a Minute" campaign, please contact the DCF Office of Communications at 609-292-0422 and visit the DCF Web site at: http://www.nj.gov/dcf/safety/campaigns/car.html.