Keep your kids safe this summer

Summer has arrived and motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among kids ages 3-14 in the United States. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2005, 1,335 passengers ages 14 and younger died and 184,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes. That’s a daily average of four deaths and 504 injuries.

A variety of factors are involved, such as high-traffic holidays like: Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day, an excess of drinking, and parents who don’t bring their children’s car seats on vacation.

Careless driving and auto accidents aren’t the only hazards with motor vehicles. Between 1998 and 2004, an annual average of 33 children died of heat stroke because they were left in an unattended vehicle, Chrissy Cianflone, director of program operations at Safe Kids USA, U.S. News says. A parent might leave a child in the car to run a quick errand, or they might simply forget their child in the back seat or a child may play hide and seek in an unattended car.