Nissan Research Finds Limited Booster Seat Usage Among Ethnic Minorities Notes BMW Joins AYES to Deal with Shortage ot Auto Technicians BMW has joined the roster of automakers supporting Automotive Youth Educational Systems (AYES) in its quest to reduce the shortage of skilled service technicians in the auto industry. Since AYES, a non-profit organization was launched in' 1995, more than 2.000 students have been placed in internships with participating dealerships, under the guidance of qualified mentors. Tom Purves, chairman and CEO of BMW Holding Co., has been named to the AYES board. “There simply are not enough qualified service technicians to meet the demand and the industry must take an active role in recruiting and deve - oping young technicians at the secondary school level Purves said. . . There is an estimated shortage of 65,000 skilled automo­ tive technicians nationwide. Other AYES sponsors include General Motors, Eord, the Chrysler Group, Toyota, Volkswagen, Audi, Honda Subaru and'the National Automobile Dealers Association. At ES is affiliated with more than 200 schools and nearly 2,000 deal­ erships in 35 states. That number is expected to increase by year end, with an additional 75 schools participating. A survey of 400 African-American and 400 Latino drivers, conducted on behalf of Nissan's “Quest For Safety," a child safety seat program, found that parents and caregivers report high levels of car seat awareness and usage for younger chil­ dren. But they reported much lower levels of booster seat awareness and usage for older children. The survev revealed that about 87 percent of Black parents are aware of’booster seats but only 16 percent use the seats for transporting children between four to eight years of age. About 53 percent of Black parents did not know booster seats should be used when a child is too small for a vehicle s seat belt, but too big for a child safety' seat. Among Latinos, about 58 percent of parents with children aged four to eight are aware of booster seats, but only 13 per­ cent use them. About 68 percent of Latino parents who do not use booster seats say they secure the child using both the vehicle’s lap belt and shoulder harness. Booster seats are meant for children who weigh between 40 to 80 pounds and have outgrown their child safety seats but are too small to properly use the vehicle's seat belt alone. For more details on this surrey and other vehicle safety information, visit our Website at www.onwheelsmc.com. Joining Forces to Educate African Americans on the Importance of Seatbelt Safety The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), and the International Center for Injury Prevention (ICIP) have joined forces to conduct the Nationa Highway Traffic Safety Administration (N H IbA ) Standardized Child Passenger Safety Training Program to NOBLE members throughout the country. Supportingt us innovative initiative are African Americans On Wheel (AAOW) magazine and the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers (NAMAD). AAOW and NAMAD will provide a variety’ of efforts, including car/booster seat clinics at local minority-owned dealerships. The project also includes establishing car/boost­ er seat fitting stations operated by NOBLE members and local technicians/instructors as well as providing a limited number of free seats to low-income families. This initiative is an example of minority organizations partnering in an effort to address an important health crisis Statistically, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for African Americans up to 14-years-old and the sec­ ond leading cause of death for African Americans aged 15 to 24 (homicide is the No. 1). A significant number of these deaths resulted from the absence of, or improper use of child restraint devices. The first training sessions will be conducted in Virginia with the assistance of the NHTSA and the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicle. G Chevrolet Sponsors 27th Annual SBN Sports Black Coliege All American Awards Weekend C C ' k h e v r r n o l e t marked its 14th consecutive year as a major sponsor and scholarship provider to stu­ dent athletes who play football for America's histori­ cally Black col­ leges and universi­ ties. The awarding Ronte Sm ith, regional sales manager o f General of the Chevrolet M otors A tla n ta (left) ami Gratnbling University Head Coach Doug Williams (far right) present the Excellence in S B N Doug W illiams Offensive Player o f the Year E d u c a t i o n A w ard to Jacquay NunnaU y o f Florida A & M . Scholarships took place during the 27th Annual SBN Sports Black College All- American Awards Banquet in March in Atlanta. This year's event honored the 2000 SBN Sports Black College All- Ronte Sm ith, regional sales manger o f General American Team, M otors A tlanta (left) and NFL H all ofFam er Tuskegee's Golden M e l Blount present the S B N M e l Blount Defensive Tigers, who are the Player o f the Year A w ard to L em a rd M a ck, o f National Black Texas Southern University. u