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Autobytel.com Joins Forces With MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) To Deter Underage Drinking And Driving

Autobytel.com Joins Forces With MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) To Deter Underage Drinking And Driving

Published 09-25-00

Submitted by Autobytel.com

Autobytel.com (Nasdaq: ABTL), the global leader in automotive e-commerce, today announced its expanded involvement with MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving). In an effort to promote awareness and dialogue amongst teens and their families regarding the issues surrounding underage drinking, Autobytel.com will host an interactive live webcast of the upcoming "MADD National Youth Summit to Prevent Underage Drinking." Key events from the Summit will be webcast live from Washington D.C. through the company website at http://www.autobytel.com/MADD from September 30 to October 4, 2000, enabling families throughout the country to participate in the discussions nationwide.


Autobytel.com's association with MADD is ongoing. By sponsoring the "Take the Key and Win the Car" sweepstakes earlier this year, the company provided an extra incentive for public participation in MADD's life-saving "The Key" program, which encourages parents and teens to sign a family covenant to jointly determine the rules and consequences of underage drinking. Last week, Robert Jones of Glen Mills, Pennsylvania was chosen in a random drawing as the sweepstakes winner. Robert and his seventeen-year-old daughter, Cindy, had visited the Autobytel.com site to sign The Key covenant together and, as such, had automatically registered to win a new car or cash prize. Robert - who has previously purchased three cars through Autobytel.com - and Cindy were on hand to receive a $25,000 check at a special awards ceremony held at Philadelphia's St. Hubert High School on Tuesday, September 19th. The awards ceremony served to "kick-off" pre-Summit activity and featured speeches from youth delegates, MADD National Vice President Wendy J. Hamilton and corporate spokespersons.

According to the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration), alcohol is the nation's number one youth drug problem, and there are over 10 million underage drinkers in the U.S. today. NHTSA reports that in 1997, 21 percent of the young drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking. Traffic crashes remain the number one killer of young people.

"As the market leader in online car buying, Autobytel.com feels a natural sense of responsibility regarding automotive safety issues. We're proud to support MADD's mission as it relates to the prevention of underage drinking," said Mark Lorimer, Autobytel.com's President and CEO. "When 8 young Americans die every day in an alcohol-related crash, we all need to step up to the plate and do what we can to educate our nation's youth."

Wendy J. Hamilton, MADD National Vice President adds, "It is through these turn-key partnerships, such as this one forged between MADD and Autobytel.com, that we will accomplish our goal to prevent underage drinking and promote safe and sober driving on America's roads." Internet Wire, the first and largest Internet-based distributor of direct public relations materials and related business communications, will also contribute to the event by donating daily Internet press releases and sound bites from the Youth Summit through its online wire service at www.internetwire.com.

One high school student from each of the 435 congressional districts and the U.S territories will gather to work alongside their peers, public policy officials, health specialists and others, to discuss the issues surrounding youth alcohol use. Specific topics, including alcohol availability, enforcement of laws and "binge" drinking among teens will be covered in an effort to encourage young people to actively participate in developing solutions that will save lives. The motivation for change among many of the Summit's youth delegates is, sadly, personal. "My brother was killed in a drunk driving accident," explained Philadelphia delegate Marlene Olson, speaking at the Saint Hubert pre-Summit event. "I want to do all I can to keep other families from going through what my family experienced."

For the first time ever, families will be able to actively participate in the Summit, by logging onto http://www.autobytel.com/MADD, where they can ask specific questions and respond to discussion topics. Autobytel.com will provide daily webcasts of key Summit events from September 30 through October 4 and will post Summit highlights for the ensuing six months on its site.

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