Until you see a news report about a young child being crushed by a garage door or see the tell-tale scratches on your front bumper indicating that you’ve pulled in too far, you might not realize what a dangerous place your garage can be. But fortunately, there are a number of things that can be done to make the garage safer for you and your family.

One thing you might want to look into is a garage door with a sensor that prevents the door from coming down when anything is in the way. Most of these have either lasers or infrared sensors that are wired back to the drive mechanism that opens and closes the door. They’re a wonderful addition to the convenience of a garage door that will reduce the danger posed to you, your family and your car.

Another thing you should check is whether or not the garage door opener will reverse and how long it takes for it to go into reverse. Obviously, it’s best to have one that will reverse the door before it contacts something – whether it’s your fender or a member of your family. In general, this feature is standard on all openers made since 1982, although you may need to replace or update ancient garage door openers to add this feature.

And, at times, garage door safety really comes down to house safety. Be sure to recode or reprogram the control for the door immediately after installing it and then every 2-3 months. The last thing you want is a crook randomly punching store brand garage door opener codes until they find the one that opens your garage door. In addition, the older your garage door opener is, the more imperative it is that you recode the opener.

Of course, there’s another step you can take to maintain garage door safety – regular checks and maintenance. Check your garage door about once a month and perform any repairs that are needed. There may be some specifics to your make and model that you need to know – the manufacturer will have included these in any documentation that came with the opener. If you can’t find the original documents, check online. Most major garage door manufacturers have online resources that archive their old manuals for your reference.

Another thing that you can do to keep the door properly aligned and mechanically sound – don’t let the kids play “beat the door.” No balls should be bounced off the garage door, even those gentle tennis balls. Even the smallest bounces can add up to a dangerous misalignment in the future.

The last safety measure you should be aware of is the emergency release – another standard feature that’s been around since 1982. Most of the time, this takes the shape of a pull device or cord that will release the door and stop it from coming down on you, your car or your kids. In most cases, it really is the final word in garage door safety.