A drugged driving simulation, a Leap Day campaign, and a 30-year anniversary were among the items being promoted by automakers recently.

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[naviga:li]Ford has introduced a drugged driving suit to complement a drunk driving suit already in use in a driver education program. The automaker introduced the suit for this year's Driving Skills for Life tour, which teaches safe driving practices to people in the United States and abroad. A person who wears either the drugged driving or drunk driving suit will experience the effects of being impaired—including slower movements, impaired coordination, and blurred vision—and how they can impede driving. The tour will also focus on issues such as wearing seat belts, drowsy driving, and pedestrian safety.[/naviga:li]

[naviga:li]Chevrolet says it has been impressed by the response to its "Day It Forward" campaign, which urged people to do good acts on Feb. 29 to celebrate the extra 24 hours in February. The automaker says several of its dealerships answered the call, taking actions such as providing new instruments to a local high school's music department or recognizing employees. Chevrolet's actions included donating a Chevy Malibu to a California teacher's aide in need of a new vehicle and making 3-D models of vehicle designs made by second graders in Lawrence, Kansas. Several celebrities also took part in the campaign including actor Kevin Spacy, who provided a grant to a performing arts student; Detroit Tigers pitcher Daniel Norris, who spent the day with a young thyroid cancer survivor and gave his family a trip to Florida; and actress Eva Longoria, who honored her friend Elvia Barboa—CEO of the organization Padres Contra el Cancer—for her work to improve the quality of life for children who are coping with cancer.[/naviga:li]

[naviga:li]Hyundai is celebrating 30 years in the United States. The Korean automaker debuted its first model, the Excel, in the U.S. in 1986. Today, the subsidiary Hyundai Motor America is headquartered in Fountain Valley, California, and has more than 830 dealerships across the nation. The automaker also has an American manufacturing plant in Alabama, engineering facilities in Michigan, and a research and testing site in California.[/naviga:li]

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