Protecting an active toddler requires much more attention than monitoring a responsible 10-year-old. There are no specific national age guidelines appropriate for supervision as there are for using child restraints and booster seats.  But a new national survey of parents from the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety can give you a sense of what other parents are doing.

This report summarizes what parents across the country thought was normal. There were no differences between parents' attitude by region, ethnicity or size of town. The intent of this report is to give you an idea of what other parents think is normal and some tips for preventing injuries in and around cars.

Young children, and even older ones, often don’t have the proper judgment to recognize unsafe situations that your supervision can help prevent. Increasing your awareness of the risks is one important step in reducing these preventable injuries.

What Does Supervision Mean?
Some parents define supervision as being close-by and on-hand as needed, rather than being directly involved in the child's activities.

Nine out of 10 parents agree – children need more supervision than they’re getting to prevent injuries in and around cars. 

When you hold a child’s hand – near a street or driveway, in a parking lot or anywhere – you offer them another pair of eyes to watch for danger.

Most parents hold their child’s hand until they are 7½ years old.

Supervising Children In Cars
When is it OK to leave your child alone in a car?  It’s a decision parents face on a daily basis – when they’re paying for gas, a quick run into the store, a dash back in to the house for a forgotten item.

There’s no national guideline that states at what age it is OK, but:
 9 out of 10 parents say they have never left a child under 5 alone in a car. 
 3 out of 5 parents say the same about any child age 5 to 12.

Buckling Up
Parents agree it’s the right thing to do – the challenge is making it happen.
Click HERE for tips other parents are using to get their tweens properly restrained.

Of all the safety features on today’s cars - - YOU are the most important one.

You can download the full version of the parent report here. Click here for the Spanish version.