Nothing takes a back seat to safety. In fact, the back seat is where an 8-year-old is most likely to find safety.
That’s what Mark Chernoby told an after-school car club at Bowling Green (Missouri) Elementary in a private teleconference.
The executive who heads vehicle safety and regulatory compliance at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. connected with the auto aficionados after a club member reached out with an idea to make cars safer. From a safety lab at the Company’s U.S. headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan, Chernoby shared advice via teleconference.
But it wasn’t all business. Back-seat travel affords kids an opportunity to have fun, Chernoby noted.
The teleconference was prompted by an e-mail to the executive, from club president Jackson Bierly. The 8-year-old pitched an air-bag concept to FCA, maker of his favorite brand – Dodge.
Discussion ranged beyond back-seat travel, with one clever clubber engaging Chernoby on the topic of suspension travel.
“Nothing is more important than encouraging the type of inquisitiveness these kids showed today,” he said later. “That’s how we develop great engineers. And great engineering can have dynamic impact on the lives we lead.”
The FCA Foundation, the charitable arm of FCA US LLC, supports programs that promote science, technology, engineering and math as avenues of study for young people. The foundation recently donated $900,000 to support academic and nonprofit organizations across the United States.
