How a tape measure and scale can save your child’s life

Tip of the Week

Babies are measured and weighed frequently in the first few years of life so parents and pediatricians can be sure they are getting a healthy start. But as kids get older, many parents don't know exactly how tall or heavy their children are. Knowing your child's height and weight, and using the right car or booster seat when they travel, could save their life.

Booster seats protect children who are too big for a car seat but too small for a seat belt. And yet, according to "Buckle Up: Booster Seats," a new study released by Safe Kid Worldwide, an alarming number of parents are allowing kids to use a seat belt alone before they are big enough.

The report, funded in part by a $2 million grant from the General Motors Foundation, surveyed parents of children ages 4 to 10 and found that seven in 10 do not know that a child should be 57 inches tall to ride in a car without a booster seat. Furthermore, in practice, nine out of 10 parents move a child from a booster seat to a seat belt too soon.

While car seats, booster seats and seat belts are engineered to offer more protection than ever, anyone who drives a child needs to remember to use a booster seat until a seat belt alone fits safely. Safe Kids offers this easy tip: a child needs to be at least 57 inches tall (4 feet 9 inches) and weigh between 80 and 100 pounds to ride with just a seat belt.

Motor vehicle crashes are the second-leading cause of death for children 4 to 10 years old in the U.S. In 2012, 340 children of this age died in motor vehicle crashes. A third of these children were riding without a restraint that could possibly have saved their lives. Booster seats can reduce the risk of serious injury by 45 percent compared to seat belts alone.

The report also found that carpooling can be a particularly risky time for small passengers. One in five parents whose children carpool say they "bend the rules" when driving, letting children ride without seat belts and without the car seat or booster seat they would normally use. And 61 percent of parents say they notice other carpool drivers bending the rules.

— Brandpoint

VW desperate to keep customers

Volkswagen customers feel cheated, angry and betrayed, so VW is offering lots of incentives to get people to trade in their old VWs for newer models. It starts with $2,000 toward the purchase or lease of any new VW gasoline or hybrid. The offer can even be combined with other offers, except for fleet programs and employee programs.

VW also will carry over incentives from September with dealer-cash bonuses of up to $2,750 for gasoline-powered Passats, $2,250 for gasoline-powered Jettas, and $4,000 for the Touareg, CC,and Eos. The hope is that these extra incentives will be enough to keep people with the brand rather than fleeing for other companies.

— BestRide.com

The cars of Bond

In "Spectre," James Bond will once again be at the wheel of an Aston Martin, this time a DB10 that will be involved in a nighttime chase through the streets of Rome with villain Mr. Hinx. It's possible that Hinx got the cooler end of this deal, as he's driving a Jaguar that never made it past the concept stage.

How does one come to own a concept car? Hey, when you're an evil villain, anything is possible.

The Jaguar in question is the C-X75 which debuted at the 2010 Paris Auto Show to celebrate the brand's 75th anniversary. It won all sorts of awards and was slated for production, but Jaguar changed its mind. Instead, it's something of a test car, showcasing the use of carbon fiber and advanced technologies that give it serious performance skills.

The car can go from 0-60 mph in under 3 seconds and has a top speed over 200 mph. James better get a move on if he wants to outrun Mr. Hinx and save the world from imminent destruction.

— BestRide.com