IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 26, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Autobytel Inc. (Nasdaq:ABTL), pioneer of the automotive Internet and the company dedicated to connecting automotive consumers with dealers, has launched a Child Passenger Car Seat Safety Campaign in time for September's National Baby Safety Month sponsored by the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association (JPMA); and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Child Passenger Safety Week #therightseat, September 14 – 20, 2014.

The Autobytel campaign, in conjunction with SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A. and car seat manufacturers Diono, Clek, Safety 1^st, Maxi-Cosi, and Cosco, features in-depth tips and advice to help parents keep their kids safe in their car, including child passenger safety articles and car seat installation videos. The company has also launched a child passenger seat sweepstakes #carseatgiveaway and will be giving away five free car seats during Child Passenger Safety Week. 

To access the articles and videos, visit http://www.autobytel.com/car-ownership/family/. To learn more about the sweepstakes* and to enter for your chance to win, visit http://www.autobytel.com/promo/car-seat-giveaway/rules/.

"Autobytel has long been committed to child passenger safety, so it was important for us to develop a library of expert videos and articles that parents can easily access," said Michelle Naranjo, editor-in-chief at Autobytel Inc. "The information we developed is robust and addresses child passenger dos-and-don'ts, as well as the common (and often dangerous) mistakes parents make while driving with their children."

To create the campaign, Naranjo and her team worked closely with NHTSA, as well as longtime child passenger safety experts John Stubbs and Stephanie Tombrello of SafetyBeltSafe U.S.A., and Marianne Merawi, Autobytel's child passenger safety writer and certified Child Passenger Safety Technician.

Parents should keep in mind notable, lesser-known advice offered in the Autobytel Child Passenger Car Seat Safety Campaign:

• According to Stubbs, most kids aren't tall enough to have the seat belt fit their body correctly until they're 10, 11, sometimes even 12 years old.
   
• Merawi says parents who try to save airfare by having their child under the age of 2 ride on their laps are putting their child – and other airline passengers – in significant danger. 
   
• Tombrello asserts that 90% of parents use safety seats incorrectly, even though they think they are using them correctly.
   
• Naranjo says that no matter how much kids beg, safety experts recommend that children stay seated in the back seat until they're old enough to drive themselves.

Just some of the articles and videos featured in the Autobytel Child Passenger Car Seat Safety Campaign include:

• Six Ways to Childproof Your Car
• Nine Places to Never Put a Car Seat
• How to Choose a Car Seat
• Ten Car Seat Mistakes You Didn't Know You Were Making
• Ten More Car Seat Mistakes You Didn't Know You Were Making
• How to Install Rear Facing Car Seats
• How to Install Convertible Car Seats
• How to Install Front Facing Combination Car Seats
• How to Install Booster Car Seats
• Choosing Between Different Types of Car Seats

Autobytel also features vehicles it considers "Cars to Keep your Family Safe" in its Child Passenger Car Seat Safety Campaign. Following is the complete list:

2014 Honda Odyssey Elite 
2015 Nissan Rogue SV 
2015 Outback 2.5i Limited 
2015 Kia Sorento SX AWD  
2014 Nissan Pathfinder 
2014 Ford Explorer 
2014 Ford Fusion Titanium Hybrid 
2015 VW Jetta TDI 
2015 VW Gold TSI SEL 
2015.5 Volvo XC70 Wagon

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube for our latest content on car seat safety and updates on our car seat giveaway.

*The sweepstakes entry period begins August 25, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. PT and ends on September 18, 2014 at 11:59 p.m. PT. 

About Autobytel Inc.

Autobytel Inc. provides high quality consumer leads and associated marketing services to automotive dealers and manufacturers throughout the United States and offers consumers robust and original online automotive content to help them make informed car-buying decisions.  The company pioneered the automotive internet in 1995 with its flagship website www.autobytel.com and has since helped tens of millions of automotive consumers research vehicles; connected thousands of dealers nationwide with motivated car buyers; and helped every major automaker market its brand online.

Investors and other interested parties can receive Autobytel news releases and invitations to special events by accessing the online registration form at investor.autobytel.com/alerts.cfm.