Keeping your children safe while in the car is a primary concern of most parents. A little early planning and preparation can go a long way to ensure they remain safe while you concentrate on the road. Also ensuring that your car is in optimal condition by completely routine maintenance in a timely manner will keep everyone safe on the road. Read more about suggested maintenance for your make and model at Cars.com.

Car seats are the most critical component of keeping children safe while riding in a car. Car seats come in three varieties appropriate for different age groups. Rear-facing car seats are the type of seat that should be used for infants and small children under the age of two, or until they grow beyond the weight and height restrictions of the seat. Once that happens, they should transition to a front-facing seat in which they should stay until age five, or when they reach the weight and height restrictions of that seat. Even when that happens, it’s recommended that children spend another several years in a booster seat, at least until they grow taller than 4 feet, five inches. The reason for this is that anyone shorter than that height will not be adequately protected by the car’s seatbelts. You can learn more about car seats, including proper installation for your car make and model at www.cars.com/articles/2013/09/how-carscom-conducts-car-seat-checks/.

Everyone riding with you is safer when you can focus completely on the road ahead of you. For that reason, creating busy boxes to entertain your children while you drive makes a lot of sense. You can attach shower caddies with suction cups to your windows to hold things like crayons, small toys and even snacks to occupy your children. Organizers that hang from the back of your front seats are also available for holding books, coloring books and even electronic devices that will keep your children busy and you focused on the road. Whenever you’re buying something new for your car you should check out car and automotive reviews to make sure that you’re getting the best possible deal on whatever you need. You spent a lot on your car, you spend a lot maintaining it and so you should make sure you have the best accessories too!