The backpacks are filled, the lunches are made and the carpool schedules are written on your calendar. When you’re carting children around town — yours and other people’s — safety is paramount.

Use these strategies and smart tips to discipline your precious passengers when they need it and to set an example for them by being a model of good driving behavior.

You know you’ll keep kids safe when they’re riding in your car — but what about when someone else is behind the wheel? Sit down with the other parents before the school year starts and agree on a list of rules that should be followed regardless of who is behind the wheel. This is an especially diplomatic way to get lax parents to step up. When you meet as a group, they’ll feel the peer pressure and you won’t have to single them out. Discuss seating arrangements and booster seats, and exchange emergency phone numbers.

Most states mandate forward-facing booster seats for children between 20 and 40 pounds (or between 4 and 8 years of age). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration urges parents and caregivers to use booster seats until a child reaches 80 pounds, even though there are no laws that dictate doing so. (California recently changed its booster law to include children who weigh up to 60 pounds.) Go to www.safekids.org to find out the laws in your state.

The safest drivers are those who keep their eyes on the road, not on the backseat. Stash a variety of toys, books and even catalogs in the car to occupy small hands. The less frequently you have to turn around, the better.

Be a carpool role model by fastening your seat belt even for short rides. Children ages 4 to 6 are skilled enough to buckle a seat belt but not to adjust it so it’s secure. Make sure they stay properly strapped in.

The dangers of air bags are well known — air bags can injure or kill kids who are too close to them when they deploy. Though getting a child to understand that he’s still not big enough to ride in the front passenger seat isn’t always easy, children younger than 12 should never sit up front. If you’re in a situation where an older child must ride in the front seat, make sure he’s tightly buckled in and slide the seat as far from the dashboard as possible.

Nothing makes a child feel more grown up than hopping behind the wheel of the car or sitting on your lap and vroom-vrooming in the driveway, but this sets an extremely dangerous precedent. Children who think they belong in the driver’s seat may feel entitled to play with dashboard controls while you’re driving, creating a potentially life-threatening situation.

There are times when you need to make good on the threat and actually pull over when things get too rowdy. It’s safer for everyone if you do.

Stock your car with a variety of save-the-day supplies: a bag or bowl for a sick child, a first-aid kit, cell phone, gas card, phone list, water bottles, moist wipes and snack packets. These items will make life easier even on the toughest days.