Recommendations for preventing TBI include:
Vehicle Safety
- Wear a seat belt every time you drive or ride in a motor vehicle
- Never drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- Always buckle your child into an approved and properly installed child safety seat, booster seat or seat belt, depending on the child's height, weight, and age
Sports Safety
- Wear a helmet and make sure your children wear helmets when:
- Riding a bike, motorcycle, snow mobile, or all-terrain vehicle
- Playing a contact sport, such as football, ice hockey, or boxing
- Using in-line skates or riding a skateboard
- Batting and running bases in baseball or softball
- Riding a horse
- Skiing or snowboarding
Home Safety
- Use a step stool with a grab bar to reach objects on high shelves
- Install handrails on stairways
- Install window guards to keep young children from falling out of open windows
- Use safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs when young children are around
- Maintain a regular exercise program to improve strength, balance, and coordination
- Remove tripping hazards
- Use non-slip mats in the bathtub and on shower floors
- Put grab bars next to the toilet and in the tub or shower
- Have vision tested regularly to decrease the risk of falling
- Make sure the surface on your child's playground is made of shock-absorbing material, such as hardwood mulch or sand
Firearm Safety
- Keep firearms stored unloaded in a locked cabinet or safe
- Store bullets in a separate secure location