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SOUTH AMBOY, N.J. — With May being National Youth Traffic Safety Month, DCH Auto Group is putting a major emphasis this month on helping to keep teen drivers safe on the roads.

It is providing free vehicle safety inspections in May for any vehicle driven by a teenager, and is also offering a series of driving safety events at its dealerships.

Teen drivers can take any make or model into any of the auto group's New Jersey, New York, Connecticut and California stores and receive a written evaluation letting them know of any necessary repairs to ensure safety on the road.

Citing National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data, DCH noted that more than 5,000 teenagers in the U.S. die as a result of traffic crashes each year, making it the No. 1 cause of death for this age group.

DCH says this is the reason why it is teaming up with its partners Students Against Destructive Decisions and the National Organization for Youth Safety to emphasize the importance of safe driving to teenagers.

The auto group explained that May, in particular, is an especially vital time for teens to be cautious about their driving, as events like prom, graduation and summer trips can often raise the potential for accidents.

"Thousands of teens tragically die and thousands more are critically injured each year in car crashes," said Shau-wai Lam, chairman of DCH Auto Group. "By offering free safety inspections this May, continuing our efforts with our safe driving initiative all year long and generally calling attention to teen safe driving, we at DCH are hoping to change that."

Some of the events that DCH dealers are holding to emphasize safety include:

—Saturday: DCH Auto Group dealerships in Temecula, Calif., are holding a safe driving demonstration and "DCH Temecula's Got Talent" talent show. There will be a $500 prize for first place.

—Saturday: DCH Freehold Nissan in Freehold, N.J., will be hosting a "Say No to Texting and Driving" safe driving demonstration. There will also be free food and a giveaway.

—May 22: DCH Auto Group dealerships in Oxnard, Calif., and some of its vendors "Keep It Out Of Cars Day." This event will feature a safe driving demonstration as well as a "back yard boogie" offering with food, music, prizes and more

—May 22: DCH Freehold Toyota in Freehold, N.J., will be holding a "Mindless Driving. Keep It Out of Cars" barbecue.

—May 27: DCH Honda of Lemon Grove in Lemon Grove, Calif. Local radio personality "GinaTheLatina" will broadcast live from the store and take questions from teens about safe driving.

"We're really excited about these events," stated Randall Holt, parts and service manager for DCH Toyota of Oxnard. "It's a fun and free way to get young people educated about driving safety."

To see the full schedule of events, visit DCHAuto.com.

DCH went on to add that its "Mindless Driving. Keep It Out of Cars" initiative is a long-term campaign to educate teen drivers.

What DCH called the "cornerstone" of the campaign is the group's relationship with SADD. DCH sponsors SADD in New Jersey, southern New York, southern California and Fairfield, Conn.   

"The focus is to keep 'it' — as in, mindless driving — out of our teenagers' cars," officials shared. "This means not driving distracted, driving recklessly or driving under the influence, to name a few."