Approximately 50% of medical evacuations back to the United States each year involve Americans who are injured abroad in car accidents. That information comes from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, which also says that car accidents are the leading cause of fatality among American travellers abroad, killing more Americans every year abroad than illness.
However, while travelers often focus heavily on vaccinations and medications to keep themselves safe, very few vacationers pay close attention to the fact that if they are involved in an accident overseas, the trauma may be compounded by the fact that they are in a foreign, sometimes developing, country.
If you are vacationing in a developing country, it is important to understand that not all of these destinations will have laws that require you to wear a seat belt while driving, or place your children in car seats. Regardless of whether the country’s laws require you to do so, you should always wear a seatbelt while riding in a car, and use approved car seats for your children as well.Use car seats and booster seats just as you would back home.