NEW BABY CITY - Safety in the Car

Children are curious and should never be exposed to the dangers of being alone in a vehicle. To keep your children safe in and around the cars:

Never leave your children unattended in or around a vehicle. Learn about the dangers of a child getting into a car at home or elsewhere when a parent doesn't know about it.
A child left unattended in a car may be abducted.
A child can suffer serious injury or die when he gets in a car that is sitting in the sun and gets extremely hot or when he gets in a car in extreme cold temperatures and cannot get out.
Teach your children not to play in or around cars. If a child plays with the gearshift or brakes of a car he can cause the car to roll and crash. If the car is idling, a child playing with the gears can cause the car to start moving.
Do not be afraid to tell parents or caregivers about the dangers when you see anyone leaving children unattended in a vehicle.
To prevent your child from entering the car without your knowledge, always lock the doors and trunk of your car, and keep the keys out of children's sight and reach.
Keep the rear fold-down seats up to help prevent kids from getting into the trunk from inside the car.

Warning: Power windows can cause strangulation. Children may accidentally put their hands, knee or foot on the button on a power window when leaning out of a car causing the window to close and strangle them. No government agency has kept track of power window incidents but Kids 'N Cars, a non-profit organization whose mission is to reduce non-traffic related injuries or deaths that occur when children are left unattended in or around a vehicle, says it has identified 42 child deaths and thousands of injuries from power window incidents since the 1960s. Four of these deaths occurred in 2002. Typically these incidents occur when the car is turned off but the key is left in the 'On' position to play the radio.

Kids in Hot Cars

As every parent knows, it takes time to put a child into a safety seat and take him out again each time you get into and out of the car. Take the time. A few seconds of your time can save your child's life. Every year children who are safely buckled into their car safety seats die from hyperthermia (unusually high body temperature) when they are left in the family car.

Kids Playing in Cars

Children love to imitate grown-ups and pretending to drive is a favourite activity. Tragedies can happen when:

Children climb into cars to play and suffer from heat stroke because they don't know how to get out of the car.
The keys are left in the ignition or the car is left idling while a parent runs an errand, and child climbs out of his car seat and shifts the car into gear causing the car to move.
Children are strangled in a power window or sunroof.
Children climb into the trunk of a car while playing hide and seek.

Tips to Keep Kids Safe In and Around Cars

To keep your child safe in and around cars:

Always buckle-up your child in a car seat that is appropriate to the age and weight of your child.
Never leave your child unattended in or around a vehicle.
Teach your children to never play in, around or behind a vehicle.
Do not be afraid to tell parents or care givers about the dangers when you see anyone leaving children unattended in a vehicle.
To prevent your child from entering the car without your knowledge, always lock the doors and trunk of your car and keep the keys out of children's sight and reach.
Keep rear fold-down seats up to help prevent kids from getting into the trunk from inside the car.
Walk around and behind a vehicle prior to moving it and know that another adult is properly supervising children before moving your vehicle.
Be aware that steep inclines and large SUV's, vans and trucks add to the difficulty of seeing behind a vehicle
Consider installing cross view mirrors, and/or a back up detection device.
Keep toys and other sports equipment off the driveway.
Always make sure all child passengers have left the car after it is parked.
When a child is missing, check vehicles and car trunks right away.

Airbags

While airbags have saved thousands of lives, a deploying airbag can be deadly to an unrestrained child. Properly buckling your child has never been more important now that all new vehicles offer airbags on the passenger's side. While, some studies of actual crashes indicate that older children can be protected by airbags, it's only if they are properly buckled up! Your best bet is to keep kids in car safety seats in the back seat whenever possible.

As of December 2000, 100 children had been killed by passenger airbags. To protect an occupant, an airbag must inflate in a fraction of a second before the occupant hits the dashboard. For a full-sized adult, the result is coming forward into a cushion of air. For a child who isn't properly restrained, it can be deadly, especially if the child is standing up or leaning on the dashboard.

Remember: most children killed by airbags are not properly belted. Almost 60 percent of all children killed by passenger airbags were either unrestrained or improperly restrained at the time of the crash.

Use caution if your vehicle has side airbags. A child can be at risk of serious or fatal injury, especially if the child's head, neck or chest is in close proximity to the air bag at the time of deployment. The International Traffic Safety Administration advises parents to deactivate side airbags if children will sit next to them. The best way to protect your child is to make sure she is seated and buckled up properly.
Children 12 and under should always travel in the rear seat and use an age-appropriate restraint.

Warning: Never place a rear-facing child seat in front of a passenger-side airbag.

Over 18 percent of the deaths of children from airbags were among infants in rear-facing child safety seats in front seats with a passenger airbag.

NOTE: These are simply guidelines and information gathered from trusted sources that intend to ensure that your child travels in the car as safe as possible. In addition to the above information you should ALWAYS read the instructions manual when buying a car seat, since the information above alone are not enough. We have tried to touch on those areas that you might want to explore further with your doctor or an expert on the subject.

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