Get vehicle safety ratings from the US government's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP). Vehicles are rated on several aspects of safety. The higher the star rating, the safer the car.
Always wear your seatbelt.
And insist your passengers do the same. Regardless of the laws in your area, every passenger should be restrained by a safety belt. Seat belts save lives and reduce injuries.
The Canada Safety Council states that 53% of all automobile crash deaths could be prevented by the use of lap and shoulder belts. A group has been formed for survivors of car crashes who owe their lives to the use of safety belts. No one knows when or where an accident will occur. Always be prepared and always be safe.
Restrain babies properly. Your baby counts on you to protect her. In the car, safety comes in the form of a quality, properly installed safety seat. Fifty-one percent of the children under age 5 who died in traffic crashes in 1998 were unrestrained. (NHTSA, 1999)
However, more than 80% of car seats are not installed properly. Fit for a Kid is a free program offered by Daimler-Chrysler dealers that allows customers to learn how to strap their children in safely, using their own vehicle and car seat. You may also be able to find a car seat clinic sponsored by your local police, a hospital or a church.
When your children are older, make them ride in the back seat. Children who ride in the back seat suffer one third fewer fatalities than those in the front seat (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, or IIHS, 1999). Front airbags are not generally designed for smaller occupants, though several manufacturers are working on "smarter" airbags which can detemine the weight of the passenger seat occupant. Technology, however, has nothing on common sense. Kids should ride in the back until age 12, or until the height of 4'7".
Adjust yourself.
First, give your airbags room to work. Position yourself at least 10" to 12" from the steering wheel.
Next, check your headrest. It isn't just there for comfort. They provide protection against neck injuries in rear-impact collisions by limiting head movement, and have been a requirement of the US federal government since 1967. Rhonda Parker, a Utah Highway Safety Instructor explains that headrests pose a problem if people don't adjust them to fit their size. "They do no good if your head is more than 2 inches away," she says. "Only thirty percent of people adjust the headrest to fit their head." Source
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