5 Crucial Car Safety Checks

Some may say I am a car seat crazy kook.  After some very sad news I received yesterday, I am even more adamant about ensuring the safety of my children when we travel.  Yesterday I learned that two more students from a school where I previously taught were killed in a car accident.  That school has lost far too many students over the past five years.  I know my children are far from driving age, but I intend to do what I can to keep them safe when we are on the road.

Car-Safety.org lays out some compelling statistics.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, motor vehicle crashes are the #1 killer of kids in age groups 1-14.  Safe Kids USA says motor vehicle crashes are the #1 cause of unintentional injury-related death for all children 14 and under.  While some crashes are unsurvivable, over 57% of deaths for children 0-15 were because the child was unrestrained.  Many more were improperly restrained.  Nationally, the misuse rate for child safety seats is over 80% and as high as 95% in some areas.   The good news is that correct use of car seats and boosters does save lives.  Infant seats have been shown to reduce fatal injury by 71%, and toddler seats by 54%.

Here are my top five ways to keep little ones safe in the car:

1.  Ensure that the driver is safe to drive.  Many things can play into a driver being unsafe to drive.  Obviously, we're not going to let a drunk person drive our children.  What about a person who is just buzzed?  On a new medication that may make them a little loopy?  On cold medicine?  Overtired?  Overstressed?  All of these things can make a driver unsafe.

2.  Ensure that the car is safe to drive.  Are the tires overly worn?  Are the brakes in good condition?  Are things in good mechanical order?  Does the driver understand how to shift into neutral should there be a problem with the accelerator?  Do the seatbelts work properly?

3.  Ensure that all children are in appropriate seats.  Are all babies under 1 year AND 20 pounds rear facing?  Are all other children in seats suited for their age, weight, and development that also follow your state's laws?  Have you considered extended rear facing?

4.  Ensure that all safety seats are used properly.   Have you followed the instructions in the manual?  Have you had a carseat safety check?  (ask at local hospitals, fire stations, and police stations)  Is the seat used properly EVERY time?  Is the seat expired?

5.  Ensure that the roads are safe to travel.  Are the roads slick after a rain?  How is visibility?  Are the roads snow covered or icy?

Stay safe on the road - be aware of other drivers as you don't know how safe they will be.  Let's keep our kids alive and safe!

This post is part of the 31 Days to a Better Blog challenge.