Summer Car Safety

Along with warmer weather, longer days, and more lazy time spent outdoors, comes safety concerns for our children. Here are a couple of tips related to cars:

Hot Cars – Never leave a child unattended in a car, especially in the summer. The temperature inside a car can reach dangerous levels, even in moderate weather with the windows slightly down. Besides the risk of heat stroke, a child could place the car in gear, get caught in a closing power window, or even be abducted. Warn your children about playing in or around cars, including the trunk. If your car isn’t equipped with a trunk release, you can install one, to ensure that a child can’t get stuck inside the trunk.
Car Seats – More than half of all U.S. states require kids to use child safety or booster seats through age 8 to reduce the risk of injuries in car crashes. A new poll by C.S. Mott children’s Hospital finds that while nearly all parents report their kids, ages 5 and younger, use booster or car seats, the number drops sharply to 40 percent by age 8. To keep your child safe, reduce the risk of injuries to the spine, head, and abdomen, be sure to follow these guidelines.

Have an enjoyable, and safe, summer with your kids!