After more than 1,000 deaths and 15 years of advocating for a federal safety standard to protect children and prevent hot car deaths, Congress passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.


Learn about the many dangers children face in & around vehicles & what YOU can do to mitigate those dangers.
CLICK HERE

How Kids Get Hurt

Backovers

Backovers

A backover incident typically takes place when a car is backing out of a driveway or parking space. Every year, thousands of children are killed or seriously injured because a driver backing up didn’t see them. Learn More

Frontovers

Frontovers

Every year, thousands of children are hurt or die because a driver moving forward very slowly didn’t see them. These incidents for the most part take place in residential driveways or parking lots and are referred to as ‘frontovers.’ (the opposite of a backover). Learn More

Heatstroke

Heatstroke

On average, 37 children die in hot cars each year in the US. Even the best of parents or caregivers can unknowingly leave a sleeping baby in a car; and the end result can be injury or even death. Look Before You Lock!

Power Windows

Power Windows

Power windows in vehicles have killed or injured thousands of children. It takes just 22 pounds of force to suffocate or injure an infant while power windows can exert an upward force of 30-80 pounds of force. Learn More

Trunk Entrapment

Trunk Entrapment

KidsAndCars.org founder, Janette Fennell led a successful campaign to convince the powerful auto industry and the federal government that trunk entrapment was a significant problem. An internal trunk release mechanism became standard in the United States after September 1, 2001. Learn More

Underage Drivers

Underage Drivers

From the back seat, children see Mom and Dad driving the car on every trip. Some children actually think they know how to drive because they have seen others do it thousands of times before. Learn More

Vehicle Set In Motion

Vehicle Set In Motion

Each year hundreds of children are hospitalized or even killed after accidentally setting a car into motion. These tragedies usually take place when a child is left alone inside a vehicle or when a child gets into a vehicle on their own. Learn More

Other Dangers

Other Dangers

There are so many ways children can be injured or killed in or around motor vehicles. We have created a very dangerous environment for our children, and it is imperative that we put in place mechanisms to keep them safe as they are unable to do that for themselves. Learn More

How We Save Lives

Product redesign

KidsAndCars.org has been instrumental in partnering and advocating for product redesign and engineering that helps save children's lives and prevent injuries in and around motor vehicles. Learn More

Education and Public Awareness

KidsAndCars.org was the first organization to recognize and bring national attention to nontraffic incidents. ‘Nontraffic’ is defined as any vehicle related injury or death occurring off public roads or highways, mainly in parking lots or driveways. Learn More

How We Save Lives: Policy

Vehicles and children are safer today due to our passionate pursuit of protecting children in and around vehicles. Learn More

Collecting data on non-traffic incidents

KidsAndCars.org changed the entire transportation data collection philosophy, process and structure in this country. For over a decade, KAC has been the only group in the US collecting data on nontraffic incidents. Learn More

Survivor Advocacy

Central to KidsAndCars.org’s mission of keeping children safe in and around vehicles is the spirited devotion of survivor advocates. It is impossible to find the words to describe the loss of a child. Learn More

All News