Keeping Children Safe in the Car

Guest post by Kevin Poon

Not too long ago I came across a blog post that stuck with me. When I still couldn't get it out of my head after quite some time, I realized it's because I felt like I needed to share the information with others, that many people would benefit from the information the same way I have.

The blog post focused on the safety of our children. More specifically, it focused on how safe our kids are when we take them with us in the car or even on an airplane. What struck me is the fact that we all want to think that our children's safety is our number one priority, but how many of us really take the time to think about the amount of their precious little lives they spend in a moving vehicle?

The post, which was on the website for a brain injury attorney in Florida, mentioned one forum the author watched on C-Span. The panel consisted of professional, knowledgeable people with legitimate information and statistics. To give just a sampling of the people on the panel, there was a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics, a representative from the Center of Disease Control, along with people from the Highway Safety Research and the National Transportation safety Bureau. With people like that, you can pretty much guarantee accurate information.

The opening comment for the forum, which also included a variety of doctors, was "If common sense were a reliable guide, we wouldn't need science."

The blog then pointed out that, even though children are much safer in cars today than they were 20 years ago thanks to improved safety seats, we are still losing one child each week to an automobile accident! That's one child each week of every year who loses his or her life in an automobile accident, with many more being seriously and permanently injured. The writer then focused on one tragic outcome of automobile accidents, which some think is a fate even worse than death: brain damage. The statistics that were then listed are heart wrenching and include the following.

Automobile accidents are second only to falls when it comes to accidents causing brain damage.

• Of the 63 children who lost their lives in 2009, 100% could have been saved if child restraints had been used properly.

• The choices we make when it comes to safety restraints are the main factor in whether our child would survive an automobile accident.

• Because it is habit for parents to use safety seats on infants and toddlers, they have a much better chance at survival than our pre-teens who we don't typically use child safety seats on.

The last fact seems to stick out the most. Our babies live while our older children don't. It's a fact that most traumatic injury is caused when a head hits the windshield or door. Pre-teens are often not restrained properly if at all which puts them at greater risk of sustaining injury.

Of course, I watched the C-Span forum myself eventually. They stated how important proper education is for parents when it comes to car seat safety. This education should include ways of dealing with older kids who can be stubborn and who attempt to negotiate everything. To quote the members of the panel, "Safety is not negotiable."

In addition to all this information, I learned a few quick tips from the new 2011 car seat recommendations posted on the American Association of Pediatrics all parents should know:

• Until they are at least two years old or until their weight and height have reached maximum allowed for a rear facing car seat, infants and toddlers should face the back of the car. This information is from the Association of American Pediatricians and is current as of April 2011.

• It is also recommended that children under 4 feet 9 inches between 8 and 12 years of age should use a belt-positioning booster seat whenever they ride in a car.

Thank you, Kevin for this vital information!

Tire Safety Week: Keep Your Family Safe For Your Summer Travels! (Guest Post)

I received this email in my inbox the other day and thought it would be ideal to help spread the word...I, personally know that the winter roads are colder, but when the tires on your family vehicle hit that hot summer pavement, the mixture of that heat and the rubber on your tires...well, let's just say that it can immediately pose a problem if your tires aren't completely safe.

With that said, the following is a guest post from my inbox:

Summer driving season has officially arrived and while we are all concerned with safety on the road, we often forget one of the most important components: our tires.  According to a study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 660 highway fatalities are caused by underinflated tires annually.

This National Tire Safety Week (June 5-11, 2011) tire expert and Michelin subjective test driver, Sarah K. Robinson can share her tips for tire safety.  She can explain some of the simplest steps you can take to ensure you have a smooth, and most importantly safe, ride this summer travel season including:

• Check you tire pressure – Check your tire pressure at least once a month and before and after a long trip.  Tires can lose 1-2 psi per month.
• Examine your treads – Always make sure your tires have at least 2/32” of tread depth (the penny trick). Examine the wear patterns; the wear patterns can tell you whether your tires are over or under inflated and if your alignment is off. 
• Avoid hydroplaning – Simple adjustments to driving including reducing your speed and avoiding wet spots, especially standing water can reduce your risk of hydroplaning.
• Rotate – Tires should be rotated every 6,000-8,000 miles.
• Keep deepest treads in the rear – Make sure when replacing just two tires that you put the two tires with the deepest treads on the rear axle regardless, whether you have front-wheel, rear-wheel or all-wheel drive.

About Sarah K. Robinson - As the first female test driver at Michelin North America, Sarah K. Robinson is paving a new road for women in the automotive world. Robinson’s current responsibilities as a subjective test driver for Michelin include evaluating tire performance in both objective (e.g., wet braking) and subjective tests (e.g., wet and dry handling, noise) then delivering her results to Michelin’s designers and engineers to ensure the best possible tire is brought to market. She also develops and coordinates all visitor demonstrations, product launches and promotional activities occurring at Michelin’s test track, Laurens Proving Grounds (LPG) in Greenville, South Carolina.