Motor Vehicle Safety

• Motor vehicle injuries are the leading cause of death among children in the U.S. (CDC 2006).                               
• But many of these deaths can be prevented. Placing children in age- and size-appropriate restraint systems reduces serious and fatal injuries by more than half (NHTSA 2006d).
• Child safety seats reduce the risk of death in passenger cars by 71% for infants, and by 54% for toddlers ages 1 to 4 years (NHTSA 2006d).
• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends booster seats for children until they are at least 8 years of age or 4'9" tall. (NHTSA 2006d).

Each year thousands of children die in motor vehicle accidents.  Sadly, most of these tragedies could be prevented with the use of age-appropriate child restraint systems.  To protect your children:

Protect Your Passengers...Protect Yourself
Never allow children (or adults) to ride in a vehicle without proper restraint.
Never allow children 12 years or younger to ride in the front seat. The risk of injury or death from front passenger-side airbags is very high and the rear seats are the safest part of the vehicle in the event of a crash.
Never install child restraint systems in the front passenger seat.  Child restraints should be installed in the backseat in the forward or rear-facing position according to age/weight recommendations.
Protect children ages 4 to 8 (about 40 to 80 pounds) with a booster seat and restrained with lap and shoulder belts every time they ride. Adult safety belts alone do not adequately protect children this size from injury in a crash.
Learn how to install child restrain systems properly by enrolling in car seat education. Click here for more information on local classes

Contact the Tucson Fire Department Public Education Department information on low or no cost car seat programs (520) 791-5515.

Backing Up
Every year, thousands of children are hurt or die because a driver backing up didn't see them. Over 60% of backing-up incidents involve a larger size vehicle. (truck, van, SUV). Tragically, in over 70% of these incidents, a parent or close relative is behind the wheel (Kids and Cars, 2006).

Walk around and behind a vehicle prior to moving it.
Know where your kids are. Make children move away from your vehicle to a place where they are in full view before moving the car and know that another adult is properly supervising children before moving your vehicle.
Teach children that “parked” vehicles might move. Let them know that they can see the vehicle; but the driver might not be able to see them.
Consider installing cross view mirrors, audible collision detectors, rear view video camera and/or some type of back up detection device.
Hold children’s hand when leaving the vehicle.
Teach your children to never play in, around or behind a vehicle.
Keep toys and other sports equipment off the driveway.
Never leave children alone in or around cars-not even for a minute.
Keep vehicles locked at all times; even in the garage or driveway.
Never leave vehicle keys within reach of children.
Always make sure all child passengers have left the car after it is parked.
Take extra precautions to keep children safe in and around cars during busy times, schedule changes and periods of crisis or holidays.

Heat/Trunk Entrapment
Many parents mistakenly think they can leave a child in a vehicle while running a quick errand. Unfortunately a delay of just a few minutes can lead to tragedy. Extreme heat affects infants and small children disproportionately. Heat rapidly overwhelms the body’s ability to regulate temperature. In a closed environment, the body can go into shock and circulation to vital organs will begin to fail.  Did you know? An average of 25 children die each year as the result of being trapped in hot vehicles. The majority of these cases were children under 3 years of age. (Source - Pima County Child Abuse Prevention Council )