Even with recalls gaining attention, dealerships need to be active to ensure that owners aren’t left at risk when a car isn’t treated correctly. The first step in taking care of this could come from looking closely at Vehicle Identification Numbers and other details to make sure the dealership reaches out to all of those who might be in danger during a given recall. NBC recently cited information from CarFax, showing that more than 30 million recalled vehicles are in use today.

This is especially concerning in light of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s attempts to enforce better recall and repair completion. According to the source, this agency wants near-perfect response rates. This article quoted Joan Claybrook, a previous NHTSA head who noted the changes in recall regulation, as run by this agency.

“The penalty for a failure to do a recall is going way up,” Claybrook said. “That may be encouraging manufacturers to get these things behind them.”

However, repair rates don’t usually exceed 75 percent of completion, the source said. With major efforts like the Takata airbag recalls in motion, the amount of vehicles currently being recalled is also formidable, adding to the number of different brands that dealers need to search for.

The Wall Street Journal reported on the amount of recalled vehicles in 2014, the same year as the General Motors ignition switch recall began.  Prior to that, the largest recalls took place in 1981 and 2004: Both of these were around the 30 million mark. Even the NHTSA fell below its own standards for scrutiny, the source said, in almost three quarters of the 279 recalls the source examined.

Using marketing communications techniques to manage recalls can help dealers give owners the right information to keep them safe — and keep dangerous cars off of the road.