Safety Tips

From their first birthday through their college graduation, motor vehicles pose a bigger risk to our children than most other risks combined.  In particular, teens who drive or ride with other teen drivers are facing one of the greatest threats to their life that they will ever encounter.  The sad reality is that many of these deaths are easily preventable.

For the 5 years from 2010 through 2014, Motor Vehicle Traffic deaths claimed nearly 40,000 lives in the age group 1 to 24 years old.  That is more than ALL other causes of unintentional injury, COMBINED.  It’s also significantly more than the lives claimed by suicide, homicide, cancer, heart disease, influenza or ANY other single cause.

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How do you protect your kids from the biggest risk most children will ever face?  It’s quite simple.

  1. Always drive unimpaired and undistracted
  2. When you drive, always wear your own seatbelt
  3. Make sure all teen and adult passengers also use a seatbelt
  4. Make sure all kids use an appropriate restraint system
  5. Make absolutely sure teens drive unimpaired & undistracted
  6. Kids ages 12 and under always ride in back
  7. Install and use all child safety seats correctly according to instructions and state law
  8. Keep kids rear-facing until at least 2 years old, preferably longer
  9. Drive a safe car and use safe carseat(s)
  10. Teen drivers use the safest car available

These 10 simple steps will probably be the most important things you ever do to keep your kids safe from harm, period.  So, please, buckle up and drive safely.  Our kids depend on it.