How to keep traveling children safe.

A family trip can quickly turn frustrating for even the most patient of parents. Long hours and lack of entertainment can make almost any child restless and bored. While safety is the last thing on a young child's mind, adults need always to keep it a priority.

"Children tend to get restless during long rides," says Heather Paul, Ph.D., Executive Director of the National SAFE KIDS Campaign. "But no matter how fidgety a child gets, parents and caregivers must make sure important safety rules are followed before and during every trip."

February 9-15, 1997 is National Child Passenger Safety Awareness Week. During this week the National SAFE KIDS Campaign is focusing on the importance of child safety seats, seat belt usage, air bag safety and other important issues. It is the perfect time for adults to review safety tips and make sure their child passengers are traveling as safely as possible.

The National SAFE KIDS Campaign has compiled the following information to help ensure children are safe while traveling on the road or in the air:

Safety in the Car

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths for children ages 14 and under. In 1993, approximately 1,400 children ages 14 and under were killed and an estimated 280,000 were injured as passengers in motor vehicles. The correct use of child safety seats is extremely effective, reducing the risk of death by 69 percent for infants, and by 47 percent for toddlers (ages 1 to 4). The National SAFE KIDS Campaign recommends the following:

* Never ride with an unrestrained child in your car. In the event of a collision, the child could be seriously injured or killed.

* Obtain and correctly install a child safety seat in your motor vehicle. If you cannot afford a child safety seat, inquire about a discount, loaner or giveaway program through a hospital, health department, police department or social service agency. Never use a child safety seat that has been involved in a crash. Even if it looks intact, it may be structurally damaged. Also, be sure to check the date of the child safety seat. Seats manufactured before January 1, 1981 were not required to pass a dynamic crash test and may not adequately protect a child in a crash.

* Secure your child correctly in a child safety seat or safety belt every time he or she rides in the vehicle. Infant-only seats and convertible seats can be used for children up to 20 pounds and 12 months. They should always face rearward. The convertible seat should be turned to a forward-facing position for children 20 to 40 pounds and between the ages of 1 and 4 years old. Booster seats are for children who have outgrown a convertible seat and are not big enough to correctly wear a safety belt. Booster-weight children are between approximately 40 and 60 pounds, and are usually between 4 and 8 years old. A booster seat protects a child from serious spinal cord and internal injuries caused by incorrect safety belt fit.

* Make sure that the child safety seat is compatible with the automobile(s) in which it is typically used. Read your child safety seat and automobile manuals to make sure the child safety seat fits snugly in the car. When purchasing the child safety seat, ask the store manager if you can try out different models before making a purchase.

* Never use pillows or cushions to boost your child. If the car is hit, the pillow may cause the child to slide under and out of the safety belt.

* Never put luggage or other hard objects on the back window shelf of the car. In the event of a sudden stop, the items could fly forward and hit passengers.

Children and Air Bags

While air bags are effective in saving adult lives, they have seriously injured and killed children who were unrestrained or improperly restrained. In addition, some children who were properly restrained sustained injuries from air bags.

The number of children injured by air bags is likely to increase proportionally as the number of air bag-equipped vehicles increases to meet federal mandates. To help prevent air bag-related injuries and deaths to children, the National SAFE KIDS Campaign recommends the following safety tips:

* Never place an infant in a rearward-facing infant or convertible seat in the front passenger seat of a vehicle with a passenger-side air bag. The back of a rear-facing infant or convertible seat rests too close to the air bag module. Due to the considerable force with which an air bag deploys, close or direct contact with the air bag or its module may cause serious or fatal injuries to the child.

* Properly restrain children in the back seat whenever possible, particularly if your car has a passenger-side air bag.

* If parents must put a child in the front seat (e.g., they have more than three children or there is no back seat), they should:

* put the largest child in the front passenger seat

* ensure that the child is properly restrained

* move the vehicle seat as far back from the dashboard as possible.

Safety in Airplanes

Airlines require luggage and carry-on items to be secured on flights. Adults must use safety belts, and infants and young children should be properly restrained as well. The National SAFE KIDS Campaign recommends that any child under 40 pounds be restrained in the appropriate child safety seat while flying - even if a flight is booked and it is necessary to purchase a ticket for an adjacent vacant seat. Although the chance of an airplane crash is unlikely, turbulence is common and can be dangerous.

The National SAFE KIDS Campaign recommends the following:

* When you make your reservations, tell the airline that you are traveling with a child. Many airlines will try to keep the seat next to you empty or give you a bulkhead seat if one is available.

* If possible, avoid the busiest days and times to fly. This will improve your chances of having an empty seat next to you.

* Make sure your child/infant safety seat meets current safety standards and that the width does not exceed 16 inches.

* Restrain children over 40 pounds in safety belts throughout the flight.

* Plan activities during the flight in 10-minute segments. That is the approximate length of the average child's attention span. Plan extra activities to cover delays and time on the ground.

Whether traveling on the road or in the air, it is important to keep children safe. Following these simple guidelines can help ensure a pleasant and safe family trip wherever your destination may be.

For more information on National Child Passenger Safety Awareness Week, contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Office of Occupant Protection at 202-366-2696.