Summer travel season is upon us! As a Mom of four, I know how complicated it is to prepare for a road trip with your family. I make numerous lists of all the things to be collected, packed, organized, purchased, cleaned and loaded before we can leave. The very first item on my list, however, is to make sure that my children are riding safely in the car. As a certified child passenger safety technician instructor, I am all too familiar with the consequences of misused car seats, and with the high rate of misuse and non-use of car seats. Simply put, car crashes are the leading cause of death and injury for children. While it can be tempting to skip a booster seat to squeeze three across the back row, or to turn a toddler forward facing to see the sights on the road, the risk of a injury is simply too great. Safety needs to be the first priority on the road. Take time to learn more about what type of car seat is recommended for your child and to make an appointment with a car seat technician in your area to inspect your seats and teach you how to use them correctly.

It’s also important to remember to never leave a child unattended in a vehicle. Often, the tragic deaths of young children in cars are the result of a child accidently being left in a car. Safe Kids Worldwide reminds us to ACT:

A: Avoid heatstroke by never leaving children alone in cars.
C: Create reminders by putting something in the back of your car such as a purse or cell phone you will need at your final destination and
T: Take action. If you see a child alone in a car, call 911.

Take time to be sure your children are riding safely in the car, and have a happy and safe summer vacation with your family!

Carrie Shrier
Extension Educator
Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician Instructor
Michigan State University Extension