Car safety is a critical issue for everyone, especially parents and caregivers of children. Each year, motor vehicles claim the lives of more children in the United States than any other cause, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Children should always be secured by some type of safety restraint, no matter how short the drive. All children age 12 and younger should sit in the backseat when traveling in a vehicle. Children age 8 and younger should be secured in either a car safety seat or a belt-positioning booster seat, depending on their age and size.

Car seats also are available to meet the requirements of children with special needs. These can be used beyond the age when a child normally outgrows car seats and have extra pads and devices that allow them to secure children up to 105 pounds (48 kilograms).

Older children can use safety belts (both the lap belt and shoulder harness) to secure themselves. Before using safety belts, children should be able to sit with their backs against a seat back, their knees bent over the edge of the seat and their feet on the floor without slouching.

Air bags can protect adults and older children from injury during an accident. However, these safety devices can injure or kill infants and younger children when they deploy. Young children may suffer serious head and neck injuries because pre-crash braking causes their upper bodies to be thrown forward into the force of the deploying air bag. In some cases, air bags have killed young children.

By virtue of their age and lack of experience, adolescents may be more likely to underestimate potentially hazardous or dangerous driving situations (e.g., driving with an intoxicated driver, running a red light). Parents should serve as role models for their teen drivers while ensuring that their teenager gets adequate supervised on-the-road training.

Additionally, parents should choose a safe vehicle for their young teenager and control access to that vehicle. Adolescents also should be made aware of the dangers of speeding, not wearing seat belts and driving while intoxicated. Risky teen driving behaviors, traffic violations and automobile accidents are less common when parents impose limitations.

Children also need to exercise caution when using other modes of transportation. For example, children waiting for the school bus should stand at least 6 feet (2 meters) away from the street. They should wait until the bus driver opens the door and tells them it is safe to board. As with automobile travel, children should remain seated quietly during the bus ride to prevent distracting the driver and increasing the risk of an accident.