FALLS CHURCH, Va. — Now in its fourth year, the annual Brake Safety Awareness Week promotion, sponsored by the Motorist Assurance Program (MAP), will be held Aug. 21-29.

During the event, more than 8,000 MAP participating facilities will offer inspections, educate vehicle owners regarding key undercar systems, provide complimentary automotive troubleshooting materials and answer consumers’ preventative maintenance questions. Participating locations can be found at www.motorist.org.

Each installment of Brake Safety Awareness Week has brought increased participation by consumers. During the 2009 event, an average facility performed repairs on more than 50 percent of the vehicles inspected. New for 2010 are point of sale promotional materials, including a poster that can be displayed in participating facilities and a brochure that helps to educate consumers on the benefits of a brake inspection.

"For very obvious reasons, it's important to make sure your brake system is working correctly and that all system components still have plenty of service life to ensure trouble-free performance," said MAP President Barry Soltz. "Many vehicles require service that the average person wouldn’t be able to detect from daily driving, making it even more critical to perform periodic safety inspections. Plus, it's important to know what to look out for when it comes to brake components and other undercar parts that periodically wear out."

MAP is the non-profit consumer outreach effort of the Automotive Maintenance and Repair Association. MAP requires all of its participating facilities to adhere to a strict set of fact-based vehicle inspection and communication standards, and establishes criteria for recommending replacement of worn parts and other products, plus how these recommendations are communicated to the vehicle owner.