1. Before crossing, always stop at the curb or at the edge of the road if there is no curb.
   
   
2. Before crossing, look left, right, and left again. If crossing at a corner, turn your head over your shoulder to see cars coming from behind.
   
   
3. Before crossing, listen! (Keep the volume down in your headset.)
   
   
4. Keep watching for approaching vehicles while you cross.

• Always walk or jog facing traffic.

• Always wear bright colors when walking or jogging near traffic.

• Wear reflective clothing when jogging, walking, (or even bicycling) at night.

• When crossing a street, see and be seen! Look the driver in eye to be sure the driver knows you are there. You must see the car. You must be seen by the driver.

• Never cross an interstate highway.

• Always wear your safety belt.

• All drivers must wear safety belts and ensure that all passengers wear safety belts or are secured in child safety seats.

• With a lap-shoulder belt, keep the shoulder strap snug. Sit high in the seat so the shoulder belt does not cross your neck or face. This will keep the safety belts in its proper place over the collar bone.

• Always wear a shoulder belt over your arm. Wearing a shoulder belt under your arm will increase your chances of serious head, chest, abdominal and back injuries.

• Always wear a lap belt snug and buckled low on your hips. Wearing it across your stomach will increase your chances of serious abdominal injuries.

Child Safety Seats

• Maryland law requires that all children who are under age 6 and who weigh 40 pounds or less must be in a child safety seat.

• Infants 20 pounds and under and less than 1 year old must ride facing the rear of the vehicle's seat. Never place an infant rear-facing in the front seat of a vehicle that has an airbag. The back seat is the safest place for children of any age. The longer infants ride rear-facing the safer they are.
  
  
• Children should ride in an approved child restraint with harness straps until 40 pounds, unless they have outgrown their safety seat by height.
  
  
• Children over 40 pounds should an approved booster seat until they are at least 8 years old and lap and should belt fits them properly. 5-Step Booster Seat Check

• Send in the car seat registration card to be notified in case your seat is recalled.
  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration "Kids and Air Bags/Child Safety Seats"

• Never use a car seat that has been involved in a crash.

• Test your child safety seat!
  It should move less than 1 inch when you attempt to shift it side to side, at the vehicle belt path location.

• To be effective in a crash, some safety belt systems require additional hardware, such as locking clips, or special child restraint installation. Check your vehicle owner's manual to see if yours does.

• For further information or to schedule an appointment to have your child safety seat inspected call the Montgomery County Child Passenger Safety (CPS) Hotline at 240-777-2222 or the CPS Program Manager at 240-777-2467.
  

Alcohol and drug abuse were involved in approximately 1/3 of all fatal Maryland crashes in 1994.

In 40% of all fatal crashes involving a car and a pedestrian, the driver, pedestrian or both were intoxicated.

• Do not drink and drive. Designate a non-drinking driver.

• Take a stand; take the keys; call a cab.

• Say No to Drugs!

• Alcohol and drugs impair your ability to drive and your reaction time before you feel drunk.

• Montgomery County law requires that all children 17 years of age and younger must wear a helmet while riding or being carried on a bicycle. Always wear your helmet when riding a bike. Make it a family practice!

• Make sure your helmets are SNELL or ANSI approved. Look for this label on the box or inside the helmet.

• Helmets should feel good on your head and feel well. Always fasten the chin strap. A helmet should not slide around on your head or pull off with the chin strap fastened. The helmet should come halfway down on your forehead when worn properly.

1. Stop before riding out into traffic from a driveway, alley, or parking lot.

2. Look left, right, and left again when crossing the street.

3. Ride on the right side of the road with traffic.

4. Obey stop signs and red lights. Children should safely walk their bikes across busy streets.