Car safety with children is one of the most important topics for many parents. Riding around with young, loud, unruly children in the car can create quite a hazard. It’s important to understand your state’s rules about car seats. Additionally, it’s helpful to prepare your car in advance so that you can entertain your children as much as possible. And know how to deal with distractions. Don’t forget to follow basic car maintenance protocols to keep things running in the best shape possible. And finally, leave yourself plenty of time when traveling with children so that you aren’t feeling stressed behind the wheel. Hopefully, you and your kids can enjoy pleasant car rides together and arrive at your destination safely every time.
Car Safety with Children: Preventing Mishaps with Littles in the Car
Car Seat Safety
Car seats are one of the most important factors in car safety with children. At every stage of childhood, kids need to be in the
correct form of child protective seat. For young babies, that is typically an infant car seat positioned facing backwards. As children get older, they’ll transition to a convertible car seat and face frontwards, then move to booster seats. Know the rules for height and weight requirements at each stage, and read any manuals thoroughly. Finally, opt to have your car seat installation professionally checked whenever possible.
Avoiding Distractions
Avoiding distractions is another important aspect of car safety with children. Kids are loud. There’s really no getting around that. And they tend to be very needy and bored when strapped in car seats traveling for long periods of time. Set yourself up for success by bringing along plenty of toys, books, games, and snacks for any car trips. Additionally, if they become too loud, pull over safely and let them know that you won’t be driving until they quiet down. If you are driving a screaming baby, take breaks for yourself periodically.
General Reminders
It’s of course important to maintain proper car maintenance to ensure car safety with children. You should take your car in for inspections periodically and have an auto shop check your car and tires. Make sure that you stay on top of basic maintenance like oil changes and tire rotations. If you are driving on older tires that are wearing thin, replace them immediately. You don’t want to experience a tire blow-out with children in tow.
Leave Plenty of Time
Finally, one last important thing to remember when driving young children is to give yourself plenty of time to arrive where you’re going. In fact, give yourself too much time. No matter how early you think you’re leaving for a car trip, children can manage to dawdle and delay things. Plus, you never know how many potty breaks you’ll need to make. Driving when you’re feeling rushed can lead to errors and
dangerous driving behavior like speeding. So give yourself more than enough time when getting in the car with young children.
Car safety with children is an important topic for almost all parents. While we do everything we can to keep our kids safe, the road can still be dangerous. Make your car as safe as possible by ensuring that your children are using the correct age-appropriate safety restraints. Avoid distractions as much as possible by talking to your children about car behavior and prepping with snacks and toys. Don’t be afraid to pull over and give yourself a minute to cool down if you’re driving with screaming children or babies in tow. Don’t neglect routine car maintenance, and always leave yourself plenty
