Traumatic brain injuries, also known as TBIs, affect the lives of Americans nationwide. While anyone can experience a TBI, data show that children and older adults (age 65 and older) are at greater risk. Many TBIs, including concussions, are preventable—and you can help.

Change Your Mind about Brain Injury

A TBI is caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or a penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain. The severity of a TBI may range from “mild” to “severe,” and can change the way you think, act, move, and feel. In 2013, falls accounted for almost half (47 percent) of all TBI-related emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and deaths. Other common causes include being struck by or against an object (such as colliding with another person) and motor vehicle crashes. Learning what can cause brain injuries and how to avoid them is important and can protect persons from TBIs and their potentially devastating effects.

TBI in Children

This year, in support of Brain Injury Awareness Month, CDC released new information about sports- and recreation-related TBIs. A new report captured information from more than 2 million emergency department (ED) visits for sports- and recreation-related TBIs. Researchers found that activities that contributed to the highest number of these ED visits were football, bicycling, basketball, playground activities, and soccer.

TBI in Older Adults

Falls are the leading cause of all TBIs, and adults aged 75 and older have the highest rates of TBI-related hospitalization and death. CDC’s Stopping Elderly Accidents, Deaths, and Injuries, or STEADI initiative, is a toolkit designed to help healthcare providers incorporate fall risk assessment and individualized fall prevention interventions—such as strength and balance exercises and medication management—into their practices. Fall prevention brochures and resources for older adults and their caregivers are available here.

You Can Make the Difference

Every day, 153 Americans die from TBI-related injuries. Even those who survive can face lasting effects, including disability. You can make the difference in keeping your brain safe, and in keeping your children and the older adults in your life safe as well.

There are many ways to help reduce the risk of a concussion or other serious brain injury both on and off the sports field, including:

Create a Safe Sport Culture

Young athletes deserve to play sports in a culture that celebrates their hard work, dedication, and teamwork, and in programs that seek to create a safe environment—especially when it comes to concussion. As a youth sports coach or parent, your actions can create a safe sport culture and can lower an athlete’s chance of getting a concussion or other serious injury.

Athletes thrive when they:

• Have fun playing their sport.
• Receive positive messages and praise from their coaches for concussion symptom reporting.
• Have parents who talk with them about concussion and model and expect safe play.
• Get written instructions from a health care provider on when to return to school and play.
• Support their teammates sitting out of play if they have concussion.
• Feel comfortable reporting symptoms of a possible concussion to coaches.

Enforce the Rules

Enforce the rules of the sport for fair play, safety, and sportsmanship. Ensure athletes avoid unsafe actions such as:

• Striking another athlete in the head;
• Using their head or helmet to contact another athlete;
• Making illegal contacts or checking, tackling, or colliding with an unprotected opponent; and/or
• Trying to injure or put another athlete at risk for injury.

Tell athletes you expect good sportsmanship at all times, both on and off the playing field.

Talk about Concussion Reporting

Talk with athletes about the importance of reporting a concussion. 

Some athletes may not report a concussion because they don’t think a concussion is serious. They may also worry about:

• Losing their position on the team or during the game.
• Jeopardizing their future sports career.
• Looking weak.
• Letting their teammates down.
• What their coach or teammates might think of them.

Get a Concussion Action Plan in Place

Create an action plan that includes information on how to teach athletes ways to lower their chances of getting a concussion. If you think an athlete may have a concussion, you should:

1. Remove the athlete from play.
2. Keep an athlete with a possible concussion out of play on the same day of the injury and until cleared by a health care provider. Do not try to judge the severity of the injury yourself. Only a health care provider should assess an athlete for a possible concussion.
3. Record and share information about the injury, such as how it happened and the athlete’s symptoms, to help a health care provider assess the athlete.
4. Inform the athlete’s parent(s) or guardian(s) about the possible concussion.
5. Ask for written instructions from the athlete’s health care provider about the steps you should take to help the athlete safely return to play. Before returning to play an athlete should:
   • Be back to doing their regular school activities.
   • Not have any symptoms from the injury when doing normal activities.
   • Have the green-light from their health care provider to begin the return to play process.

Why This Is Important

Athletes May Try to Hide Concussion Symptoms.

• As many as 7 in 10 young athletes with a possible concussion report playing with concussion symptoms.
• Out of those, 4 in 10 said their coaches were unaware that they had a possible concussion.

Enforce Safe Play. You Set the Tone for Safety.

• As many as 25% of the concussions reported among high school athletes result from aggressive or illegal play.

Young Athletes Are More Likely to Play With a Concussion During a Big Game.

• In almost all sports, concussion rates are higher during competitions than in practice.
• Athletes may be less likely to tell their coach or athletic trainer about a possible concussion during a championship game or other important event.

Most Sports-Related Concussions Are Caused by Player-to-Player Contact.

• Over two-thirds (70%) of concussions among young athletes result from contact with another athlete.
• This is followed by player-to-surface contact (17%), such as hitting the ground or other obstacle.

Headache Is Most Commonly Reported Concussion Symptom.

• Almost all (94%) high school athletes with a concussion reported having a headache.
• Other commonly reported symptoms include:⁷
  • Dizziness (76%)
  • Trouble concentrating (55%)
  • Confusion (45%)
  • Bothered by light (36%)
  • Nausea (31%)

Motor Vehicle Crashes: A Leading Cause of Death for Children

In 2019, 608 child passengers age 12 and younger died in motor vehicle crashes, and more than 91,000 were injured. Of the children 12 and younger who died in a crash (for whom restraint use was known), 38% were not buckled up. Parents and caregivers can make a lifesaving difference by checking whether their children are properly buckled on every trip.

Risk Factors for Child and Teen Passengers

• Of the children who died in a crash:
  • Restraint use (like car seat, booster seat, or seat belt use) varies by age. In 2019, 43% of 8–12-year-olds were not buckled up, compared to 41% of 4–7-year-olds and 27% of children less than 4 years old (for whom restraint use was known).
  • Black and Hispanic children have higher proportions of unrestrained child deaths compared with White children. A study of data from 2009–2010 indicated that 45% of Black children and 46% of Hispanic children were not buckled up, compared with 26% of White children (among children 12 and younger).
• Alcohol-impaired driving is a threat to the safety of child passengers. In 2019, 23% of child passenger deaths among children age 14 years and younger in the United States­­­ involved alcohol-impaired driving (blood alcohol concentration ≥0.08 g/dL); 64% of the time, it was the child’s own driver who had been drinking.
  • Among children who died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, a higher proportion of those riding with impaired drivers were unrestrained (58%) compared with those riding with sober drivers (37%).
• Restraint use among young children often depends on the driver’s seat belt use. In 2019, 67% of fatally injured children riding with unbelted drivers were also unrestrained (based on known restraint use).
• Child restraint systems are often used incorrectly. An estimated 46% of car seats and booster seats are misused in a way that could reduce their effectiveness.

Buckling children in age- and size-appropriate car seats, booster seats, and seat belts reduces the risk of serious and fatal injuries.

• Car seat use reduces the risk for injury in a crash by 71–82% for children, when compared with seat belt use alone.
• Booster seat use reduces the risk for serious injury by 45% for children age 4–8, when compared with seat belt use alone.
• For older children and adults, seat belt use reduces the risk for death and serious injury by about half.

Preventing Motor Vehicle Injuries in Children​​​​​​

• The Community Preventive Services Task Force recommends child restraint laws to increase restraint use and decrease injuries and deaths among child passengers, based on strong evidence of effectiveness.
• Child restraint laws require children riding in vehicles to use approved restraint devices such as car seats, booster seats, or seat belts that are appropriate for their age, height, and weight.
• Strengthening current laws with booster seat provisions that require children who have outgrown car seats to use booster seats until at least age 9 helps reduce injuries and deaths.
  • Children age 4–8 years in states with booster seat laws were over four times as likely to be using age-appropriate restraints and were 20% less likely to die than children in states without booster seat laws.
  • A study among children involved in crashes found that restrained children were 66% more likely to be buckled in appropriate restraints if their state law followed best practice recommendations.
  • Observed booster seat use among children age 4–7 years increased by 19 percentage points after booster seat laws were implemented in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin.
  • The death rate among 7-year-olds was 25% lower for the children in states with booster seat laws compared to states without booster seat laws.
  • The rate of children using car seats and booster seats increased nearly three times in five states that increased the booster seat use age requirement to 7 or 8 years. The rate of children who sustained fatal or incapacitating injuries decreased by 17% in these states.
• Car seat distribution plus education programs also are recommended for increasing restraint use. Distributionplus education programs help parents and caregivers obtain new, unused car seats and learn how to properly use and install them.These programs often include hands-on demonstrations, which can help increase proper use and installation.
• Short-term, high-visibility enforcement of child restraint laws are similar to those used for seat belt use (such as Click It or Ticket). Effective programs are short-term, highly visible in the community, and advertised widely in the media.
• Incentive and education programs reward parents or children with coupons or other prizes for correctly using car seats. Programs offer print materials, videos, or other instructional aids for parents and caregivers.

Know the Stages

CDC provides guidance to ensure children are properly buckled in a car seat, booster seat, or seat belt— whichever is appropriate for their age, height, and weight.

• Rear-facing car seat: Birth until age 2–4.
  Infants and toddlers should be buckled in a rear-facing car seat with a harness, in the back seat, until they reach the maximum weight or height limit of their car seat. This offers the best possible protection. Check the car seat manual and labels on the car seat for weight and height limits. Never place a rear-facing car seat in the front seat. Front passenger air bags can injure or kill young children in a crash.
• Forward-facing car seat: After outgrowing the rear-facing car seat and until at least age 5.
  When children outgrow their rear-facing car seats, they should be buckled in a forward-facing car seat with a harness, in the back seat. They should stay in the forward-facing car seat until they reach the maximum weight or height limit of this seat. Check the car seat manual and labels on the car seat for weight and height limits.
• Booster seat: After outgrowing the forward-facing car seat and until the seat belt fits properly.
  When children outgrow their forward-facing car seat, they should be buckled in a belt-positioning booster seat with a seat belt, in the back seat, until the seat belt fits properly without a booster seat. A seat belts fits properly when the lap belt is across the upper thighs (not the stomach) and the shoulder belt is across the center of the shoulder and chest (not on the neck/face or off the shoulder). This typically does not occur until children are age 9–12.
• Seat belt: When the seat belt fits properly without a booster seat.
  Children no longer need to use a booster seat when the seat belt fits them properly. A seat belt fits properly when the lap belt is across the upper thighs (not the stomach) and the shoulder belt is across the center of the shoulder and chest (not on the neck/face or off the shoulder). This typically does not occur until children are age 9–12. Seat belt fit can vary by vehicle so check belt fit in all vehicles to make sure the child no longer needs to use a booster seat. It could be that a child might need a booster seat in one vehicle but not another. Keep children properly buckled and in the back seat through age 12 for the best possible protection.
• Install and use car seats & booster seats properly.
  Install and use car seats and booster seats according to the car seat/booster seat manual, or get help installing them from a certified child passenger safety technician
• Find a child passenger safety technician
• Don’t seat children in front of an air bag.
  Air bags can kill young children riding in the front seat. Never place a rear-facing car seat in front of an air bag.
• Buckle children in the back seat.
  Properly buckle all children age 12 and younger in the back seat.
• Always buckle older children who use booster seats or seat belts with a lap and shoulder belt. Both the lap and shoulder belt are needed for proper protection.
• Buckle children in the middle of the back seat.
  Properly buckle children in the middle seating position of the back seat when possible, because it is the safest position in the vehicle.
  • If the middle seating position contains only a lap belt, older children using booster seats or seat belts should sit in a different seating position in the back seat where they can use both a lap and shoulder belt.
  • Most rear-facing and forward-facing car seats can be safely installed in the middle seating position using the lap belt only, so younger children using these types of seats can be safely positioned in the middle.
• Use proper restraints on every trip.
  Buckle children in car seats, booster seats, or seat belts on every trip—no matter how short the trip.
• Parents and caregivers: Always wear a seat belt.
  Set a good example by always using a seat belt.

Your Child's or Teen's Helmet

Your child’s helmet should fit properly and be:

• Well maintained
• Age appropriate
• Worn consistently and correctly
• Appropriately certified for use

While there is no concussion-proof helmet, a helmet can help protect your child or teen from a serious brain or head injury. Even with a helmet, it is important for your child or teen to avoid hits to the head.

Prevention Tips

• Make sure athletes always wear a batting helmet that fits well and is in good condition.
• Teach athletes proper fielding techniques and ways to avoid collisions with other athletes.
• Work with the game or event administrator to remove tripping hazards and ensure that equipment has padding that is in good condition.

Why This Is Important

• About 1 in 4 concussions in high school baseball result from a player from being hit by the pitch (26%).
• Over a quarter of concussions (26%) in high school baseball happen when an athlete is fielding a batted ball.

Prevention Tips

• Enforce the rules of the sport for fair play, safety, and sportsmanship.
• Ensure athletes avoid unsafe actions such as:
  • Hitting another athlete in the head;
  • Using their head to contact another athlete;
  • Making illegal contacts or colliding with another athlete; and/or
  • Trying to injure or put another athlete at risk for injury.
• Work with the game or event administrator to remove tripping hazards and ensure that equipment (such as goalposts and walls), have padding that is in good condition.

Why This Is Important

• Girls have higher rates of concussion than boys in high school basketball.
• Almost two-thirds (65%) of concussions among boys who play high school basketball resulted from contact with another athlete.
• Half (51%) of concussions among girls who play high school basketball resulted from contact with another athlete.

Effective Interventions

Effective interventions to reduce injuries and fatalities to bicyclists include the following:

BICYCLE HELMETS

Bicycle helmets reduce the risk of head and brain injuries in the event of a crash. All bicyclists, regardless of age, can help protect themselves by wearing properly fitted bicycle helmets every time they ride.

BICYCLE HELMET LAWS 

Bicycle helmet laws are effective for increasing helmet use and reducing crash-related injuries and deaths among children and adults.

Promising Interventions

Interventions that have shown promise for reducing injuries and fatalities to bicyclists include the following:

ACTIVE LIGHTING AND RIDER VISIBILITY

• Fluorescent clothing can make bicyclists visible from further away than regular clothing during the daytime.
• Retro-reflective clothing can make bicyclists more visible at night.
• Active lighting can include front white lights, rear red lights, or other lighting on the bicycle or bicyclist. This lighting may improve the visibility of bicyclists.

Prevention Tips

• Ensure cheerleaders have appropriate supervision during practices and a designated and safe practice facility.
• Limit the amount of stunts during practices.
• When stunting is performed, always use spotters and make sure the surface is soft and in good condition.
• Teach safe stunting techniques and do not allow cheerleaders to attempt new or difficult stunts without proper instruction and a coach on hand.

Why This Is Important

• Most concussions in high school cheerleading happen during practice.
• Almost all (91%) concussions among high school cheerleaders are associated with stunts (ie. toss or lift).
• Almost half (45%) of high school cheerleaders who had a concussion as result of a stunt did not have a spotter (teammate or coach).

Prevention Tips

• Enforce the rules of the sport for fair play, safety, and sportsmanship.
• Ensure athletes avoid unsafe actions such as:
  • Making illegal contacts or dangerous stick play (e.g., swinging, checking) around the head and/or
  • Trying to injure or put another athlete at risk for injury.
• Work with the game or event administrator to remove tripping hazards and ensure that equipment, such as goalposts, have padding that is in good condition.

Why This Is Important

• Six out of 10 (61%) concussions in field hockey happen as a result of player-equipment contact (ie. contact with a stick or ball).
• Activities most commonly resulting in concussion are:
  • Defending (37%)
  • Chasing a loose ball (12%)

Prevention Tips

• Teach athletes proper techniques and ways to avoid hits to the head.
• Limit the amount of contact during practices. This may include:
  • No full speed head-on blocking or tackling drills in which the players line up more than 3 yards apart.
  • Limiting the amount of practice time that includes scrimmages or full-speed drills.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends:
  • Expanding the availability of non-contact football programs.
  • Having skilled athletic trainers available at games and practices.
• Keep a close eye on athletes during running plays, especially an athlete in the running back position.
• Enforce the rules of the sport for fair play, safety, and sportsmanship.
• Ensure athletes avoid unsafe actions such as:
  • Hitting another athlete in the head;
  • Using their helmet to contact another athlete (helmet-to-helmet or helmet-to-body contact);
  • Making illegal contacts, tackling, or colliding with an unprotected opponent; and/or
  • Trying to injure or put another athlete at risk for injury.
• Make sure athletes always wear a helmet that fits well and is in good condition.
• Work with the game or event administrator to remove tripping hazards and ensure equipment, such as goalposts, have padding that is in good condition.

Why This Is Important

• Almost half (49%) of concussions in high school football happen during running plays.
• Tackling is responsible for almost two-thirds (63%) of concussions in high school football.
• Linebackers sustain over half (59%) of all concussions among high school football defensive players.
• Running backs sustain 46% of concussions among high school football offensive players.

Prevention Tips

• Limit the amount of contact during practices. This may include:
  • Limiting the amount of practice time that includes scrimmages or full-speed drills.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends:
  • Expanding the availability of non-contact hockey programs.
  • Limiting body checking in competition to athletes age 15 and over and to elite levels of youth ice hockey.
  • Teaching body-checking skills in practices only for athletes age 13 years and over who are geared to elite participation.
• Keep a close eye on athletes in the wing position—who are at increased risk for concussion.
• Enforce the rules of the sport for fair play, safety, and sportsmanship.
• Ensure athletes avoid unsafe actions such as:
  • Hitting another athlete in the head;
  • Using their helmet to contact another athlete (helmet-to-helmet or helmet-to-body contact);
  • Making illegal contacts or checking or colliding with an unprotected opponent; and/or
  • Trying to injure or put another athlete at risk for injury.
• Make sure athletes always wear a helmet that fits well and is in good condition.
• Work with the game or event administrator to remove tripping hazards and ensure that equipment has padding that is in good condition.

Why This Is Important

• Concussions are 13 times more likely to happen during competitions versus practice in high school ice hockey.
• Almost two-thirds (64%) of concussions in high school ice hockey resulted from contact with another athlete.
• About 1 in 3 concussions in high school ice hockey (30%) result from being checked.
• Half of concussions in high school ice hockey are sustained by athletes in the wing position.

Prevention Tips

BOYS:

• Limit the amount of contact during practices. This may include:
  • Limiting the amount of practice time that includes scrimmages or full-speed drills.
• Teach athletes proper techniques and ways to avoid hits to the head.
• Keep a close eye on athletes in positions that are at increased risk for concussion to help you spot a potential concussion.
• Enforce the rules of the sport for fair play, safety, and sportsmanship.
• Ensure athletes avoid unsafe actions such as:
  • Hitting another athlete in the head;
  • Using their helmet to contact another athlete (helmet-to-helmet or helmet-to-body contact);
  • Making illegal contacts or checking or colliding with an unprotected opponent; and/or
  • Trying to injure or put another athlete at risk for injury.
• Make sure athletes always wear a helmet that fits well and is in good condition.
• Work with the game or event administrator to remove tripping hazards and ensure that equipment has padding that is in good condition.

GIRLS:

• Enforce the rules of the sport for fair play, safety, and sportsmanship.
• Ensure athletes avoid unsafe actions such as:
  • Making illegal contacts or dangerous stick play (e.g., swinging, checking) around the head and/or
  • Trying to injure or put another athlete at risk for injury.
• Work with the game or event administrator to remove tripping hazards and ensure that equipment, such as goalposts, have padding that is in good condition.

Why This Is Important

• About 3 out of 4 concussions (77%) among boys who play high school lacrosse occurred as a result from contact with another athlete.
• Activities commonly associated with concussion among boys who play high school lacrosse are:
  • Being body checked (18%)
  • Chasing a loose ball (14%)
  • Body checking (12%)
  • Defending (12%)
• Nearly half (48%) of concussions among boys who play high school lacrosse were sustained by midfielders.
• The most common cause of concussions among girls who play high school lacrosse is player-crosse/stick contact (42%).
• Activities commonly associated with concussion among girls who play high school lacrosse are:
  • Defending (17%)
  • Ball handling/cradling (15%)

Prevention Tips

• Follow US Soccer recommendations:
  • No heading for any athletes age 10 and under.
  • Limit heading only to practices for athletes ages 11 to 13.
• Teach athletes ways to lower the chances of getting a concussion, including ways to avoid collisions with other athletes.
• Enforce the rules of the sport for fair play, safety, and sportsmanship.
• Ensure athletes avoid unsafe actions such as:
  • Hitting another athlete in the head;
  • Using their head to contact another athlete;
  • Making illegal contacts or colliding with another athlete; and/or
  • Trying to injure or put another athlete at risk for injury.
• Work with the game or event administrator to remove tripping hazards and ensure that equipment, such as goalposts, have padding that is in good condition.

Why This Is Important

• Girls have higher rates of concussion than boys in high school soccer.
• Concussions in high school soccer most commonly occur when an athlete is heading the ball.
  • About 1 in 3 concussions among girls happens during heading (31%).
  • About 1 in 4 concussions among boys happens during heading (28%).
• Concussions sustained while heading the ball most commonly result from:
  • Player-to-player contact (74% for boys and 58% for girls)
  • Player-to-equipment contact (such as contact with the ball or goalpost) (13% for boys and 35% for girls)

Prevention Tips

• Teach athletes proper fielding techniques and ways to avoid collisions with other athletes.
• Make sure athletes always wear a batting helmet that fits well and is in good condition.
• Work with the game or event administrator to remove tripping hazards and ensure that equipment has padding that is in good condition.

Why This Is Important

• Over a quarter of concussions (28%) happened when fielding a batted ball.
• Only 5% of concussions resulted from being hit by a pitch.

Prevention Tips

• Teach athletes proper diving and digging techniques and ways to avoid hits to the head.
• Keep a close eye on athletes in positions that are at increased risk for concussion Work with the game or event administrator to remove tripping hazards and ensure that equipment has padding that is in good condition.

Why This Is Important

• In girls volleyball the outside hitter and setter positions are the most likely to get a concussion (52%).
• Almost 40% (39%) of concussions among girls who play high school volleyball happen when an athlete is diving for the ball. This is followed by 25% resulting from player-teammate contact.
• Activities commonly associated with concussion in girls volleyball are:
  • Digging (42%)
  • Passing (16%)

Prevention Tips

• Teach athletes proper takedown techniques and ways to avoid hits to the head.
• Enforce the rules of the sport for fair play, safety, and sportsmanship.
• Ensure athletes avoid unsafe actions such as:
  • Hitting another athlete in the head;
  • Making illegal contacts; and/or
  • Trying to injure or put another athlete at risk for injury.

Why This Is Important

• Takedowns are the most common cause of concussion in wrestling (59% of concussions).

About 176 Americans die from TBI-related injuries each day.

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) is caused by

• A bump, blow, or jolt to the head, or
• A penetrating head injury that disrupts the normal function of the brain.

TBI is a major cause of death and disability in the United States, contributing to about 30% of all injury deaths. Those who survive TBI can face effects lasting a few days to disabilities that last the rest of their lives.

Effects of TBI can include:

• Impaired thinking or memory,
• Impaired movement,
• Impaired sensations, for example vision or hearing, or
• Emotional changes, for example personality changes or depression.

These issues can affect individuals and have lasting effects on families and communities.

The leading causes of nonfatal TBI include:

• Falls,
• Being struck by or against an object, and
• Motor vehicle crashes.

The leading causes of TBI that lead to death are suicide and falls.

Preventing older adult falls, improving safe play in sports, and increasing motor vehicle safety can reduce TBI. Public health approaches to injury prevention can reduce the rate of TBI and its long-term consequences.

Preventing Older Adult Falls

Falls are the most common cause of TBI. Older adults are most at risk, specifically those who are 75 years of age and older.

• Talk to your doctor about fall risk and prevention.
• Do strength and balance exercises.
• Have your eyes checked.
• Make your home safer by:
  • Getting rid of things you can trip over.
  • Adding grab bars inside and outside your tub or shower and next to the toilet.
  • Putting railings on both sides of stairs.
  • Making sure your home has lots of light by adding more or brighter light bulbs.

Improving Sports Safety

We know that prevention is possible. You can help by creating a culture of concussion safety on your team or in your community.

Here’s how:

• Change the “win-at-all costs” mentality.
• Talk to young athletes about concussion safety.
• Model, expect, and reinforce safe play.

Increasing Motor Vehicle Safety

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of TBI-related deaths for youth and young adults.

Everyone can improve motor vehicle safety by:

• Using seat belts on every trip, no matter how short. Make sure all passengers buckle up too.
• Buckling children in age and size appropriate car seats, booster seats, and seat belts. Kids ages 12 and under should be properly buckled in the back seat.
• Choosing not to drive after drinking alcohol or using drugs and helping others do the same.
• Knowing your state’s graduated driver licensing laws, and considering using tools such as CDC’s parent-teen driving agreement if you are the parent of a teen driver.