China teaches children about vehicle safety

GM China’s Safe Kids Safe Ride Program today visited the Shanghai New Century Kindergarten. Among the volunteers was GM executive vice-president and GM China president Matt Tsien, who spoke to the young participants about the importance of safety while riding in a vehicle.

GM China launched the Safe Kids Safe Ride Program in June in cooperation with Safe Kids Worldwide. It aims to reduce vehicle-related child injuries and raise public awareness of safety in and around vehicles.

Volunteers from GM China as well as its Shanghai GM and Shanghai OnStar joint ventures have visited 25 kindergartens and primary schools in Beijing, Shanghai and Xiamen to teach child safety and hand out Safe Kids Safe Ride pamphlets.

“By making the Safe Kids Safe Ride Program a long-term activity, our goal is to get children to understand the importance of passenger safety as early as possible,” said Tsien. “At the same time, we want them to learn proper behavior when they are around vehicles and their parents to learn good driving habits.”

Safe Kids China executive director Monica Cui said, “We appreciate the contribution of GM China to improving children’s safety. We hope the Safe Kids Safe Ride Program will continue to engage society for the benefit of the most vulnerable vehicle users.”

During today’s activity, Tsien taught children three basic safety rules: Always sit in a child safety seat when riding in a vehicle, never stay alone in a vehicle and don’t play around vehicles. He also helped demonstrate the proper use of child safety seats and offered important safety lessons through interactive games.

“Many of my colleagues and friends are already involved in Safe Kids Safe Ride Program activities, so I am delighted to take part in today’s event,” said GM China volunteer Vivian Yu. “As an automotive industry leader, GM has a valuable role to play in sharing vehicle-related safety knowledge.”

GM China has scheduled 30 Safe Kids Safe Ride Program activities this year at kindergartens and primary schools across China. The activities are expected to benefit more than 13,000 children and their families.

GM executive VP and GM China president Matt Tsien demonstrates the proper use of child safety seats and helps a child buckle up.