How's Your Car Safety Knowledge?

Studies show that many crash victims who did not wear a seat belt and were killed after being thrown out of the car would have lived—often with only minor injuries—if they had been restrained within the car.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that more than 90,000 car crashes involve sleepy drivers. If you are tired, don't drive. If you become drowsy while driving, pull over to a safe place and take a short nap, or get out of the car and stretch your legs at a rest area. Drinking coffee can help, but only for about 30 minutes. Turning up your radio and rolling down the windows are not effective wake-up methods.

Tapping your brakes could cause a collision. Instead, change lanes or pull over to the side of the road and let the other driver pass you.

An air bag is a supplemental restraint only. For it to work properly, you must wear your seat belt. Many air bags inflate in head-on crashes, and some vehicles now have air bags for side impacts. Seat belts, on the other hand, can protect you in every type of collision.

In a crash, an air bag inflates almost instantly at high speeds. It can slam into the back of a rear-facing infant seat where the baby's head rests. Or it can hit the upper body of an older child in a forward-facing safety seat. The safest place for a child under age 13 is in the back seat.

Unbuckled passengers of all ages can be injured or killed by an inflating air bag. Adults and teens riding in the front seat should buckle up and sit at least 10 inches away from the dashboard. Kids 12 years and younger should ride buckled up in the backseat.

Your car will travel the length of about one football field. Wait to read texts until you have pulled off the road and are parked.

To install the seat safely in your car, read both the safety seat manual and your car's owner's manual. Depending on your vehicle, you may need an extra belt, metal locking clip, or other device for a snug fit. Register your child's car seat with the seat maker so you can be alerted if it is recalled for safety reasons. To make sure you’ve installed your car seat correctly, contact a certified child passenger safety (CPS) technician. For information, visit seatcheck or safekids. Your local hospital, police, or fire department may also have CPS technicians.

Children who have reached 4 feet 9 inches in height are safest when riding in a booster seat and secured by a lap and shoulder belt. The booster seat raises the child up so the belt fits across the body correctly and snugly. This gives the best protection.

Air bag or not, the backseat is still the safest place for children of any age to ride. Vehicles with no back seat or a back seat that is not made for passengers are not the best choice for traveling with children. But the air bag can be turned off in some vehicles if you must have your child ride in the front seat. See your vehicle owner's manual for more information.