Guest Author - Gwenn Schurgin O´Keeffe, M.D. , F.A.A.P.

Each February is National Child Passenger Safety Week but with school around the corner and more kids on the road driving, walking and biking, this is a good time to talk about road safety. You could likely rattle of many of the significant points already as most of them are the basic common-sense safety rules we all learned as kids for walking, biking and riding in cars and school buses. But the NHTSA (National Highway Transportation Safety Administration) puts a twist on the message that you may not have considered - to teach our children passenger safety by being good role models and creating safety "patterns for life". Here are a few of the key messages from the campaign that you can find on the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) web site, www.nhtsa.dot.gov:

* "Research shows that child safety seats, when used correctly, can reduce fatalities among children less than five years old by 71 percent! That makes child safety seats one of the most effective safety innovations ever developed. Always buckle your children in child safety seats, and set a pattern for life."

* "If your child is properly buckled in a child safety seat from birth, she'll grow up thinking it's only natural to sit in a child safety seat and wear seat belts on every trip. They're her best protection from serious injury or death in the event of a crash. Patterns set early become patterns for life."

* "Children become pedestrians with their very first step, and their first mode of transportation is usually a bicycle. Help set a pattern for life - teach them to be alert and aware of traffic when walking, and to always wear a bicycle helmet when they ride. Patterns set early become patterns for life."

* "Here's a safety tip we can all live with. Drivers should be alert to stopped school buses! More children are killed getting on and off the bus than riding on one. Red flashing lights mean that the bus has stopped and children are getting on or off. YOU MUST STOP and wait until the red lights stop flashing before proceeding."

Installing car seats properly is not difficult but not always obvious either. The exact installation is dependent on not only the car-seat type but the vehicle type as well. It's essential to follow the directions carefully and ask for help if you are unsure. Your local police and fire stations routinely provide child safety checks and assistance to those who are interested.

It is also crucial that kids be in the proper type of seat for their ages and weights. In addition to the NHTSA webs site the American Academy of Pediatrics web site has some excellent information on choosing the correct car seat for your child. The key points to remember are:

• Check to be sure the seat you are using is not under a recall. Updated recall lists can be found on the consumer product safety commission web site: www.cpsc.gov.
• Never use a car seat more than 10 years old.
• Any car seat involved in a car crash should be destroyed and replaced because unseen damage may have occurred.
• Infants should be rear-facing until 20 pounds AND 1 year of age.
• Infants and children should never be placed in the passenger's front seat if an air bag is present.
• For infants and toddlers that have outgrown infant seats, the next step is convertible seat that is front facing. There are different seat belt paths for each position so be sure to read the directions carefully.
• For older toddlers and preschoolers under 4 years of age, booster seats are needed until they can sit in a regular car seat with the shoulder strap below the neck. However, laws are now being considered to increase this age to 8 years old and 4 feet 9 inches, as this is the age most kids can have the lap belt be on the pelvic bone.

So, remember, safety is not a job; it is a way of life. Here's to safe travels.