Ford to Donate Children’s Booster Seats

Ford Motor Co. said it will spend $15 million in the next 12 months and distribute 1 million child booster seats as part of a safety campaign to protect children too big for car seats but too small for standard seat belts. The No. 2 auto maker will donate 500,000 booster seats to financially needy parents driving any brand of vehicle who are identified by the federal government. Details of how recipients will be selected have not been settled. Dearborn, Mich.-based Ford will also provide $20 vouchers to Ford customers for another 500,000 seats. Ford said about 500 children between the ages of 4 and 8 die each year and thousands more are injured because they are improperly secured while riding in vehicles. Ford made the announcement, which it called Boost America, at the New York Auto Show. Partners include the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration as well as law enforcement, medical and child advocacy organizations.