Travel Safety

• Buckle up car seats and seat belts.
  
  
• Keep children entertained with car games, activity books and story tapes.
  
  
• Make periodic stops along the way.
  
  
• Keep supplies with you, such as snacks, water, a first aid kit and any medicines your child takes.
  
  
• Always use a car seat, starting with your baby's first ride home from the hospital. Help your child form a lifelong habit of buckling up.
  
  
• Read the manufacturer's instructions and always keep them with the car seat.
  
  
• Read your vehicle owner's manual for more information on how to install the car seat.
  
  
• Put your child in the back seat. It is the safest place in the car because it is farthest away from a head-on crash (the most common type of crash).
  
  
• The harness system holds your child in the car seat and the seat belts hold the seat in the car. Attach both snugly to protect your child.
  
  
• Children in rear-facing car seats should never be placed in a front seat equipped with an air bag.
  
  
• Children traveling alone to visit relatives or attend summer camp should have a copy of their medical information with them at all times.

SOURCES:
American Academy of Pediatrics
Center for Disease Control (CDC)