Lichtsinn Motors donates $1,300 to Forest City Community School District

Forest City, Iowa - Lichtsinn Motors of Forest City recently donated $1,300 to the Forest City Community School District as part of their We Care Charitable Giving program.

The We Care plan was started in October 2009 and provides that Lichtsinn Motors will donate $50 to the customer's choice of one of five pre-selected organizations for each new or pre-owned car or truck purchased at the Forest City dealership.

"The We Care Program allows us to direct our giving funds to those organizations that our customers tell us are important to them," said Ron Lichtsinn, owner of Lichtsinn Motors. "Since myself and many Lichtsinn Motors employees graduated from Forest City, we are especially proud to make this contribution in order to provide educational opportunities to our local youth." The funds will be used at the school's discretion.

The five We Care organizations for 2009-2010 are: The American Cancer Society, HOSPICE of North Iowa, the Forest City Community School District, the Forest City Chamber of Commerce/Economic Development, and Bear Creek Golf Course. In addition, each customer has the opportunity to nominate other organizations for consideration for the following year's list. Organizations have the opportunity to submit an application to be part of the next year's list as well.

Customers purchasing a new or pre-owned car, van, SUV or truck retailing over $5,000 are able to select the organization which they would like their $50 donation to go to. This is an ongoing dealership program and donations will be made to the organizations annually through this program.

Consumer Reports on the Buick Regal

“The 2011 Buick Regal marks a dramatic change from the Regals of yore,” writes Consumer Reportsin a favorable review.

It continued:Driving Impressions: “The Regal comes across as a solid, refined, and agile sedan. Handling is impressively taut and responsive, frisky and alert in corners. The ride is firm yet supple, providing good isolation despite the 18-inch wheels. The cabin is quiet, with strikingly little wind noise at high speeds.

“The 182-hp, 2.4-liter, four cylinder engine is the same direct-injection unit that drives the Chevy Equinox but it sounds more civilized in this car. The smooth and responsive six speed automatic makes the most of the engine's power. Some of us wanted more power. GM's plans call for a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, good for 220 hp, to be added in a few months, rather than a V6. We've tried it and it suits the car very well.”

Inside the Cabin: The compact interior is well finished and has many soft-touch, high quality plastics in the dash and door trim. The front seats are well shaped and very supportive, reminiscent of those used by Audi and BMW. Most switchgear is familiar from other GM products, but the radio controls are a bit confusing and the optional navigation system has a fussy center controller knob. Rear-seat room is tighter than in most family sedans but similar to the TSX and A4. The trunk is large and nicely finished, with hinges that don't crush your luggage. Folding the split rear seatbacks allows for carrying long objects.”

CR's Take: “The Regal comes across as a very slick and pleasant car that's rewarding to drive. Whether or not the public is ready for a Euro-style Buick remains to be seen.”

GM Supports Annual Drunk Driving Prevention Enforcement Campaign

GM salutes the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), law enforcement agencies, state traffic safety offices and others who are mobilizing during the last days of summer to save lives.

Sadly, drunk driving is still the cause of about one-third of highway fatalities. High-visibility law enforcement campaigns like "Over the Limit. Under Arrest." are proven, effective means to prevent tragedies and change behaviors.

Through the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, GM also supports MADD's Campaign to Eliminate Drunk Driving which includes increased drunk driving enforcement as one of the key elements of the Campaign. The annual national law enforcement crackdown -- "Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest" -- runs from Aug. 20 through Sept. 6.

This high-visibility enforcement mobilization, similar to successful efforts to increase seat belt use, is supported by $31 million in national and state advertisements, according to NHTSA. The national ads are targeted at young male drivers and motorcycle riders. NHTSA's key messages for the crackdown are: Impaired driving is a deadly crime that is still prevalent throughout the country and is especially common among young males 21 to 34 years old; and, police in every state and most U.S. towns and cities will be out in record numbers from mid-August through Labor Day to prevent alcohol-impaired driving.

GMC Provides Consumer Tips for On Board Pet Safety

Parents and caregivers pay close attention to a child’s safety while traveling in a vehicle. Our pets need the same on board care.

On Friday, at the BarkWorld Expo in Atlanta, GMC partnered with Safe Kids USA, the Atlanta Humane Society and PETCO to provide hands-on pet safety tips and demonstrations on safely securing a pet while traveling along with cautions to avoid leaving a pet unattended in a vehicle.
The GMC Acadia and Terrain are known for their family-friendly safety features that offer customers high-tech tools to help provide a safe and convenient drive for all passengers, including pets. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association nearly half of all pet owners consider their furry friend to be part of their family, which is why GMC pays attention to pets needs when developing user-friendly features.

“We know that nearly 40 percent of utility buyers are using their vehicles to transport their pets on a weekly basis, and we think that the vehicles in the GMC portfolio offer the tools that our customers need to safely travel with their four-legged friends,” said GMC Marketing Manager Hugh Milne.

“For example the GMC Terrain and Acadia are great family and pet-friendly vehicles with safety and technology features including remote power rear lift gate, second row smart slide seating system, bench seats that allow room to secure a crate for your pet and the safety and security of OnStar.”

The Atlanta Humane Society says most pet owners fail to properly secure their pets, and they can become “living projectiles” when drivers stop suddenly. An animal can seriously injure or kill a passenger and be hurt or killed itself – even at low speeds.
“While there is no one foolproof way to secure a pet to completely escape injury, just about any method is preferable to pets being loose,” said Mailey E. McLaughlin, M.Ed., Atlanta Humane Society Behavior and Training Coordinator. “A properly sized crate or kennel secured behind the back seat in an SUV is generally best, followed by a crate secured behind a different seat, or wedged between non-moving features. A secured or unsecured crate in an open area can shatter and send debris (and the pet inside) flying.”

If crating is not feasible, McLaughlin recommends securing a pet with a sturdy safety travel harness with metal buckles (or no buckles) with wide, padded straps that run across the shoulders and chest, not around the neck.

Just as important as proper securing of pets is knowing when they should not be in a vehicle. According to Safe Kids USA, the temperature inside a closed vehicle can become dangerously hot in just minutes – even when temperatures outside are mild. A child or pet’s body temperature can rise three to five times faster than an adults and can result in heatstroke or death. Through mid-August, at least 35 children in the United States had died from hyperthermia in 2010 from being left unattended or playing in a vehicle and being overcome by heat.
“Never leave a child or pet unattended in a vehicle – not even for a minute,” said Wes Bender of Safe Kids USA. “This can result in life-threatening temperatures inside the vehicle, even with the windows slightly open. Temperatures inside a closed vehicle can become dangerously hot in just minutes, even when temperatures outside are mild.”

For pets, Safe Kids recommends taking your pet with you when you exit the car or leave it at home where it will be spared the heat.

Safety travel pet harnesses and crates used during the demonstration were donated by PETCO.
The Terrain offers a best-in-segment EPA-estimated highway fuel economy of 32 miles per gallon, and to meet customer demand production has been increased three times since it went on sale in late 2009.

About GMC
GMC has built trucks since 1902, and is one of the industry's healthiest brands. Today GMC is evolving to offer more fuel-efficient trucks and crossovers, including the Terrain small SUV and Acadia crossover. The new GMC Sierra Heavy Duty pickups are the most capable and powerful trucks in the market. Innovation and engineering excellence are woven into all GMCs, including the Yukon and Yukon XL and full line of Sierra pickups. Today GMC is the only manufacturer offering three full-size hybrid trucks. Details on all GMC models are available at www.gmc.com, on Twitter at @thisisgmc or at facebook.com/gmc.

About Atlanta Humane Society
Founded in 1873, the Atlanta Humane Society and Society For Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals, Inc. is the oldest private non-profit animal welfare organization in Atlanta and one of the oldest humane agencies in America. Services such as Canine Play Yard, spay/neuter, adoptions, a regional food bank program, pet facilitated therapy, animal behavior hot-line and our charitable veterinary clinic are made possible by generous contributions of time and money from the public.

About Safe Kids USA
Safe Kids USA is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide, a global network of organizations with the mission of preventing unintentional childhood injury, the leading cause of death and disability to children ages 1 to 14. More than 600 coalitions in the United States and nineteen member countries worldwide bring together health and safety experts, educators, corporations, foundations, governments and volunteers to educate and protect families.
In partnership with General Motors since 1997, Safe Kids Buckle Up, the child passenger safety program of Safe Kids USA, has inspected 1.25 million car seats; held approximately 64,000 car seat checkup events around the country; donated more than 444,000 car seats to families in need and educated more than 21 million parents and caregivers.

About PETCO
PETCO is a privately held specialty retailer that provides products, services and advice that make it easier for our customers to be great pet parents. We operate more than 1,000 stores in 50 states and the District of Columbia, as well as a leading pet products and information destination at www.petco.com. Our nonprofit organization, The PETCO Foundation, has raised more than $63 million since its inception in 1999 to help promote and improve the welfare of companion animals. In conjunction with the Foundation, we work with and support approximately 6,500 local animal welfare groups across the country to help find homes for more than 200,000 adoptable animals every year.