New York infants will be making their inaugural ride home in one of America’s safest SUV/crossovers as part of Mitsubishi Motors’ “First Ride” event – a program that focuses on creating awareness and educating parents on child safety.
“Every day, thousands of newborns in New York City and around the nation leave hospitals in infant car seats and head home for the first, most important time,” says Jessica Robinson, Engineer, Vehicle Verification and Testing at Mitsubishi Motors R&D of America, Inc. “However, most people don’t realize that 73 percent of all child safety seats are not installed or used properly1 nor do they consider the safety of the actual car driving them home.”
Instead of making the journey home through the streets of New York City in a taxi – an experience that does not legally require a car seat – the parents participating in Mitsubishi Motors’ “First Ride” event opted for a ride home from the hospital with their new bundles of joy in a fully-equipped 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander – an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) highest-rated “Top Safety Pick+” vehicle piloted by professional drivers. Their touching personal stories have become a series of short web films that contrast the craziness of the streets of the big city, with the calm, precious moments shared between newborns and their parents.
Meet The Ortiz Family – Becoming “Dad”
Location: Bronx
The Ortiz Family was very nervous about having their first child. Carlos was raised in a single-parent household, so he is especially looking forward to giving his firstborn something he never had growing up – a father figure.
Family Facts:
- Carlos and Kristal first met 6 years ago when Carlos applied for a job at the restaurant where Kristal worked as a hostess
- Carlos and Kristal got engaged this past Fourth of July
- Both Carlos’ and Kristal’s grandparents were on hand at the hospital for baby Ortiz’s birth
Click here for the #Mitsubishi #FirstRide Overview Video
The all-new 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander was one of only four vehicles in the “Small SUV” category to receive the non-profit organization’s highest “Top Safety Pick+” designation in its crash testing evaluations. This was due to an exemplary performance in the various stringent crash testing criteria as well as the Outlander’s optional radar-based Forward Collision Mitigation (FCM)2 accident/impact reduction technology – a system that includes both audio and visual warnings to the driver as well as initiates automatic braking if necessary – and a requirement for a vehicle to receive the “plus” distinction from the IIHS for 2014 Top Safety Pick.
“When the all-new 2014 Mitsubishi Outlander was named an IIHS ‘Top Safety Pick+’ for the second year in a row, we were inspired to prove the benefits of riding in one of America’s safest crossover vehicles in a critically important way,” adds Robinson. “High vehicle safety ratings should be a priority – with or without children. And finally, a couple of extra minutes making sure you know how to properly install and use child safety seats could be a life saver.”
Families looking to get expert help on installing child safety seats can find free inspection services athttp://www.safercar.gov/cpsApp/cps/index.htm or by downloading the free NHTSA mobile app Safer Car.