Full Notification

We have been educating parents and kids about the importance of seat belt safety. However, it is not the sole factor to keep your kids safe or out of danger in a vehicle. There are other dangers in and around your vehicle that can seriously injure or even kill your child.

Here are some common dangers that NHTSA has identified that even the most careful parents can overlook: In the vehicle
 Heatstroke
 Power windows
 Vehicle roll-away

Here are some prevention tips for Heatstroke
 Never leave an unattended child in vehicle.
 Never leave your child in a parked vehicle even if the windows are rolled down a few inches.
 Before you leave your vehicle, always check the front and back seats and lock the doors before walking away.
 Always make sure all the vehicle doors are locked when unattended.
Remember children under four heat up 3 to 5 five faster than an adult and are at greater risk for heat related injuries. Vehicles heat up very quickly reaching deadly levels in just 10 minutes, even on cold days.

Prevention tips for Power windows
 Never leave your child play in a vehicle unattended.
 Teach your child not to play with window switches. They can injure their fingers or hands. Some kids have been strangled by power windows.
 Never leave the key in the ignition when you walk away from your car.
Remember to always check the windows you intend to rise up, making sure your child is not sitting on the window or their hands are not on the window. Remember to activate the power window lock switch so that your child can not play with the window.

Prevention tips for Vehicle Roll-away
 Never leave keys in your car
 Engage your emergency brake every time you park
 Supervise Children carefully when in and around vehicles
Remember with the key in the ignition the automatic transmission may be shifted out of park even if the engine is off. It doesn’t take long before a child sets your car in motion unintentionally.


Around the vehicle
 Trunk entrapment
 Backing up


Prevention tips for Trunk entrapment
 Teach your child not to play in or around cars.
 Lock your car doors and trunk and be sure keys and remote entry devices are out of your child’s reach.
 Keep the rear fold-down seats closed/lock to keep your children from climbing into the trunk from inside your car.
Remember the heat rises up by 20% Fahrenheit in just 10 minutes. High temperature, humidity and poor ventilation causes dangerous environment in a vehicle’s trunk. Show your kids how to use the trunk release “glow in the dark” devise in case of an emergency.


Prevention tips for Backing up
 Teach your children not to play in or around cars
 Supervise you child carefully when in and around vehicles
 Teach children to move away from a vehicle when the driver gets in or the car is started.
 Always walk around the vehicle before and check the area around it before backing up.
 Always back up slowly while actively checking your mirrors constantly in case a child dashes behind your vehicle unexpectedly.
 Roll down your windows while backing out of a driveway so you are able to hear what’s happening outside your vehicle.
 Make sure you know where your kids are prior to backing up.
 Never assume the rear of you vehicle is clear.
Remember many children are killed or seriously injured in back-over incidents. These incidents typically occur in driveways or parking spaces when a driver did not see an unattended child. Remember the bigger the vehicle the larger the blind spots are. Don’t rely solely on the Vehicles warning devices, actively look before backing up.

http://www.nhtsa.gov/Driving+Safety/Child+Safety/Keeping+Kids+Safe:+Inside+&+Out