It’s that time of year: late fall and early winter are the peak times to beware of deer in the roadway, and we know you don’t want to hit one.

Deer are abundant in the fall and winter because it's both hunting and mating seasons when deer are more likely to roam outside their normal territory. Pay attention to "deer crossing" signs--they’re usually installed in areas where deer are already known to be abundant. Scan down the road and off to each side and pay particular attention at dusk and dawn, when such animals as deer, elk, and moose usually venture out to eat. If you’re driving at night, watch for pairs of small glowing lights on the side of the road that could be animal eyeballs reflecting the light from your headlights. 

As Teen Driver Safety Week comes to a close, I remember clearly how afraid I was the first time I handed my newly licensed teenaged son the keys to the car for his first solo drive.

I wasn’t afraid because I thought he was an unsafe driver; in fact, he was a careful driver who had received good instruction and lots of practice time behind the wheel. I was afraid because so much of being a “good” driver comes with experience -- which then teaches how to pay attention and be prepared for all the things that can be caused by other drivers -- and he didn’t have that experience yet. During their first months of licensure, teens have a particularly high risk of accidents. Five years later, much to my relief, he remains ticket- and crash-free.

For 364 days each year, we teach our children not to take candy from strangers. But on Halloween, collecting candy from strangers is the number one goal. While most parents are careful to inspect the sweet hoard for signs of malevolent tampering, many public servants and safety organizations agree that it’s more important to make safe lighting the primary concern on Halloween night.

Most of us love to score a good Groupon deal, and now there's a great reason to love Groupon even more: Make a donation to KidsAndCars.org through the Groupon website before Wednesday September 26, 2013, and for every $10 tax-deductible donation, KidsAndCars.org will receive an additional $20 from matching sponsors.

That means each $10 Groupon purchased actually equals a $30 donation to KidsAndCars.org!!
Donate now at:  groupon.com/deals/kidsandcars-org 

Every year, thousands of children are hurt or die because a driver moving very slowly in reverse did not see them. The dollars raised by KidsAndCars.org will be used to provide safety professionals with BlindZone Education Kits that help drivers become aware of exactly how large and dangerous the blindzone behind their vehicle is and what they can do to eliminate this danger. 

It’s National Child Passenger Safety Week (September 15-21), and Safe Kids Worldwide has revealed that one in four parents have driven without buckling up their children. 

WHAT? The national survey, funded as part of a $2 million grant from the General Motors Foundation, asked more than a thousand parents and caregivers of children ages 10 and under if it was acceptable for a child to ride unrestrained in a vehicle in certain circumstances. Examples given included driving a short distance, if the car or booster seat was missing, during overnight travel, as a reward for the child, or if they chose to hold the child in their lap. 

It happened to me, and I remember the feeling: “I could swear this is where I parked it, but it’s not here… Uh, oh! That broken glass can only mean one thing….”

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s theft rate data, more than 9 million model year 2010 vehicles were produced in calendar year 2010—and 10,568 were stolen. Of those stolen, 8,736 were passenger cars, 1,689 were multipurpose passenger vehicles, and 143 were light-duty trucks.

It might seem obvious, but locking your car doors and taking your keys with you when you leave your vehicle are the first two tips offered by the Department of Transportation to help reduce your chances of vehicle theft.

Every 44 seconds a motor vehicle is stolen in the United States, and more than 40% of those thefts involve mistakes made by the drivers. With agency trend data showing that July and August are the worst months for vehicle thefts, the Department of Transportation is offering the following tips to help avoid thefts and increase the chance that vehicles are recovered:

More than 8000 votes have been tallied, the judges conferred, and thanks to Bridgestone, college just got a little cheaper (okay, not just a little cheaper, thousands cheaper) for three students. Did you vote for your favorite “Teens Drive Smart” video? Be sure to check out the following winners.

Because 24 children have already died in hot cars this year, KidsAndCars.org and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are relaunching its annual “Be Safe” and "Look Before You Lock" heatstroke awareness campaigns. The NHTSA says heatstroke in vehicles is the leading cause of all non-crash-related fatalities involving children 14 and younger, representing 61 percent of total non-crash fatalities in this age group.

Starting with Heat Stroke Prevention Day on July 31, KidsandCars.org, along with other child-safety advocacy groups and the NHTSA, have increased their summertime efforts to raise awareness and educate parents and caregivers about ways to prevent children from being unknowingly left alone in a hot vehicle.

On Heat Stroke Prevention Day, July 31, KidsAndCars.org volunteers visited birthing centers in cities across the country to distribute “Look Before You Lock™” safety education cards for new and expectant parents. KidsAndCars.org, the only and leading national nonprofit group dedicated solely to preventing injuries and deaths of children in and around motor vehicles, to date has distributed over 320,000 of the safety information cards to birthing centers and hospitals nationally.

Driving around with your baby should be fun. But it can be challenging for new mothers to figure out the best way to travel with a baby on board.

There are enough challenges to parenting without stressing over getting your child from one place to another. Read on for tips to make driving with your baby on board a breeze.