8 Ways to Keep Your Kids Safe When Driving

Accidents can strike any driver, even the smartest and experienced drivers. It’s your responsibility to take all measures to limit your risks and remain safe on the road. This is particularly important when you’re travelling with your kids. Children are in more danger of sustaining injuries if accidents happen.

It’s the right time to be educated; a new study conducted by The Journal of Traffic Injury Prevention examined data from 1990 until 2014 and found that children tend to be less likely to be injured in accidents involving traffic because of strict car seat regulations. However, the number of non-traffic deaths (incidents that occur in non-driving situations, such as driveways or parking spaces) is still a significant issue.

As a parent, you are responsible for the safety of your children. They are literally in your hand when you strap them into your vehicle and take them into the car. In this regard, here are some helpful tips for children’s safety when driving.

Use Tether Always

Do you know what tether means? It’s an elastic strap attached to the car seat that connects car seats to the tether anchors built in the car to prevent the seat harness from tipping over in the event of a crash. Without it, there’s an increased chance for children to slide further towards the front or side of a collision which could put them at the risk of suffering spinal and head injuries. If your child is in a forward-facing chair with an internal harness, ensure that you use the seat’s tether.

Don’t let your child alone in the back seat. 

It can be one of the essential safety rules for car seats that you must follow for children. It’s because you cannot afford to leave your child in the car by themselves in the event of hot days. As we all know, when it is hot, the temperature in the car is usually soaring; that is why your child could be at risk. A lot of parents have not considered this and suffered as well. So, dear parents, be sure to keep this in your mind.

Please do not allow them to eat when travelling.

It may sound ridiculous but be careful not to feed or beverages to children while in the car. What happens when your child starts crying? Your protective instincts as a parent could become overwhelming and force you to make a few unwise choices about where and when to stop to deal with the problem. This could cause damage to you as well as your child.

Reduce Distractions

Distraction is one of the main factors of collisions or accidents with cars on American roads. These days, it’s really easy to become distracted. Your smartphone and car radio, your GPS, even your children or passengers are all little distractions that could cause you to take your eyes off the road for a bit of time or even lose a little some of your focus.

Make sure you do everything you can to reduce the distractions you encounter in your vehicle. This involves configuring your phone so that it can answer any calls without using hands if needed, setting up your GPS before leaving your home. If your kids are fighting, get them to stop. If your phone rings or warns you of a text message, wait until you are at the location, then call or reply.

Choose the proper safety check.

The most secure, safest vehicle seat will be the one that fits securely inside your car, will fit according to your child’s age, height as well as weight, and is one to operate correctly every time. You need to have the correct information about the best car safety seats to purchase that is the most appropriate choice for the child. Along with car seats, you should examine the other parts of your vehicle like tires, car headlamp suppliers, mirrors, engine parts, etc., to avoid a sudden accident on the road.

Don’t Leave Them Unattended.

In addition to making sure that your kids are safe while driving, you need to be thinking about protecting them when the car is parked and stationary. Even in cars that are parked, children can be subjected to different types of dangers and risks. In a report of 2018, 53 children were killed when left alone in cars on sunny days. There are many instances of children being taken from cars that are parked.

There have also been instances in which another vehicle has collided with poorly-parked vehicles with children in them. So, ensure that you park safely and bring your children along, instead of leaving them in the car.

Install adjustable rear shoulder belt In your car

Adjustable anchors allow you to place the belt securely across your child’s chest rather than their face. If your car does not come with movable anchors, you may accompany your child when you test drive it to make sure that the belts on the back have a secure position.

Make Sure You Keep Your Car Clean

Another tip you should keep in mind while trying to ensure the safety of your children is to ensure that your vehicle is neat and clean.

This isn’t only an aesthetic problem; it’s a safety concern also. If there are any small items like a piece of debris floating across the car’s floor, they could cause distractions while driving. Be sure to take some time to tidy up your car, regularly take out any loose objects, and take proper maintenance of the car.

Bottomline

Being a guardian means you always have to remain vigilant to your kid’s safety. This includes security measures, especially while driving. Car accidents are the most common reason for death, so you must ensure that your child is safe. We all know that accidents can be unpredictable. However safe driving you are, accidents could still happen. 

Make sure that you’re taking every precaution to safeguard your children. These safety measures are in place to protect you – if you adhere to these guidelines, they could prove highly effective in protecting children from an accident while travelling.