When you’re driving your child around town, safety is a top priority. There are so many factors to consider when safely transporting your kid from place to place. For some of you, this list will be a refresher course in child safety, but for others you may learn something new about keeping how to best protect your child in the car. Here are five important safety tips to keep in mind when driving your young children around:
1.Use the correct car seat or booster for your child
It is common knowledge that car and booster seats can save children’s’ lives in the frightening event of a crash. So making sure that you change your seat as your child grows ensures that you are protecting them as best as you possibly can. In case you are unsure of when to switch your rear-facing car seat for a front-facing one, or a car seat for a booster, here is a helpful diagram from Consumer Reports:
2.Be sure that your car seat booster is installed correctly
In a 2016 study conducted by the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration, 59 % of car seats were not installed correctly. In fact, 39% of the car seats tested were installed so incorrectly that they offered the child no protection in the event of a crash.
The car accident lawyers at Harting Simkins & Ryan LLP know just how tragic these types of vehicle crashes can be, and advise that everyone in the vehicle be using proper safety measures at all times.
In order to help protect your child, please take a moment to read your car seats’ owners manual to double check that you have correctly installed yours. Alternatively, here is a resource to get your car seat inspected by a professional.
3.Practice Seatbelt Safety and Never share seatbelts
Be sure that your child is buckling up for each ride, for the entirety of the ride. Since legislation rolled out in support of seatbelts, fatal car accidents have dropped dramatically. In a study conducted of 45 years of fatal crash data across the nation, you can see just how steep the decrease of fatalities has been since 1975.
4.Maintain a calm environment (whenever possible)
It is important to teach a child from a young age, that driving time is supposed to be as quiet and relaxing as possible. Obviously, young children often have a mind of their own, but there are ways that you can help them understand the importance of staying calm. One technique is to set the tone yourself, this means opting for calming, softer music instead of loud, energetic songs that will energize your child. By doing this, you help limit driving distractions for yourself, which in turn keeps your child that much safer.
5.Keep the rules consistent in other cars
Whether their grandparents, babysitter, or another friend is going to drive your child around, keeping the safety rules consistent keeps your child safer. Keeping consistent driving routines can help prevent distracted driving, which can help prevent car accidents. Also, keeping things consistent provides your child with a sense of routine as well.
We hope that these five safety tips have helped you. If you learned anything new, please pass this article along to another parent in your circle!
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