As part of preventive care, physicians can provide information to patients, families, and caregivers about behaviors and activities that increase potential for TBIs of all types. Recommendations for preventing TBIs include those listed below. (These tips are also available on the patient information sheet, "Heads Up: Preventing Traumatic Brain Injury," contained in this tool kit. This information sheet may be placed in a waiting room, or in other locations, to provide patients with general facts about TBI.)

To reduce the chances of sustaining a TBI, patients should be advised to:

• Wear a seat belt every time they drive or ride in a motor vehicle.
• Buckle their child in the car using a child safety seat, booster seat, or seat belt (according to the child's height, weight, and age).
  • Children should start using a booster seat when they outgrow their child safety seats (usually when they weigh about 40 pounds). They should continue to ride in a booster seat until the lap/shoulder belts in the car fit properly, typically when they are 4'9" tall.13
• Never driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Wear a helmet and make sure their children wear helmets when:
  • Riding a bike, motorcycle, snowmobile, scooter, 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; or
  • Skiing or snowboarding.
• Ensure that during athletic games and practices that they themselves and their children:
  • Use the right protective equipment;
  • Follow the rules for safety and the rules of the sport;
  • Practice good sportsmanship; and
  • Do not return to play with a known or suspected concussion until they have been evaluated by an appropriate health care professional and given permission to return to play. (For more information, refer to the palm card included in the tool kit.)
• Maintain a regular physical activity program, if their health care provider agrees, to improve lower body strength and balance.14-16
• Make living areas safer for seniors, by:
  • Removing tripping hazards such as throw rugs and clutter in walkways;
  • Using nonslip mats in the bathtub and on shower floors;
  • Installing grab bars next to the toilet and in the tub or shower;
  • Installing handrails on both sides of stairways; and
  • Improving lighting throughout the home.
• Make living areas safer for children, by:
  • Installing window guards to keep young children from falling out of open windows; and
  • Using safety gates at the top and bottom of stairs when young children are around.
• Make sure the surface on their child's playground is made of shock-absorbing material, such as hardwood mulch or sand.17