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Did you know that the "zip" in "zipcode" means “zoning improvement plan” or that every day 200 billion M & Ms are sold in the United States?

The good thing is that we don't need to know those things.

In elementary school, there were few things I dreaded more than running.

Let me put it this way: One year, our French class of four kids (everyone else chose to take Spanish) was required by our teacher to get up in front of the entire school and sing “Aux Champs Elysees.” That song haunts me to this day, and I still would take that over the mile run in school.

While working at Safe Kids, regardless of whether we have children or not, we develop a parents’ radar for ways kids are vulnerable to injury. I am no different. Earlier this summer, I visited my family in Santa Cruz, California, and spent a lot of time watching my then 8-year-old nephew, Logan, play baseball with his team, the Mets.

As summer temperatures continue to climb across the country, it’s important to remember that while these summer days are great for the pool and the beach, they’re not so good for the inside of cars, which can raise to deadly temperatures in a very short period of time. 

Sadly, since 1998, at least 910 children across the United States have died from heatstroke.

Does it ever seem like Washington isn’t listening to us? Well, recently the Senate Appropriations Committee sent a message that they were hearing us.

Pop quiz. Who do you think are the best advocates for child safety issues?   a) Pediatricians; b) Elected Officials; c) Teachers; d) Parents?  The answer is: e - none of the above.

That’s right. While many of these groups work hard for children, peer-for-peer advocacy, or kids lobbying on behalf of kids, can actually have the biggest impact of all.

Albert Einstein once said that “doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results” is not consistent with good mental health.  But here we are eight days before the fiscal cliff kicks in, just as we sat on the cliff on New Year’s Day.

A car crash happens so quickly, but the pain can last forever, especially when it’s the pain of losing a child. Last April, 5-year-old Jason Santamaria went for a drive with his Aunt Florencia. Based on Jason’s size and weight, the safest place for him to ride was in a car seat or booster seat in the back seat of the car.

This post originally appeared on The Huffington Post.

This week, Safe Kids Worldwide weighed in on an important issue concerning children. And we brought 62 of our closest friends with us.