How to Stay Safe when Driving with Kids
Driving even short distances with children can be a daunting prospect. A lack of preparation and foresight can turn your day of running errands with the kids into an unsafe and stressful experience. Consider these tips to help you stay safe (and sane) when driving around with the kids:
1) Keep your vehicle in good working condition. Take it from someone with experience-there are few things more miserable than changing a flat tire (an avoidable one) with a screaming kid in the car. Make things easy on yourself, and regularly check your vehicle to make sure it is in good working condition. Start by frequently checking your tires’ air pressure and tread depth. If the tread depth is too low, invest in new tires immediately. Don’t risk the safety of your family and other motorists by driving on unsafe tires. Next, make sure your lights are working properly. Inoperative or dim lights are responsible for a good percentage of nighttime crashes. Lastly, stick to your vehicles suggested maintenance schedule. Although those oil changes can get a little tedious and inconvenient, preventative maintenance is much better in the long run. Remember, you vehicle is carrying your most precious cargo-your children. Ensure that it is in good working condition before you hit the road.
2) Properly install and utilize child restraints. That fancy car seat you bought for your baby won’t do much good in a crash if it is improperly installed. Take the time to read the manual that comes with the seat when you are installing it for the first time. If your children are too old for booster or car seats, make sure they are wearing their seat belts properly. Don’t allow them to tuck the shoulder strap behind their backs when wearing the seat belts, as this will increase the probability of secondary injuries in a crash.
3) Make your car kid friendly. An occupied child is less likely to whine and complain of boredom-thus allowing you to focus on the road. Try and keep a few toys and books in a tote somewhere in the back seat. If you can tolerate a few crumbs, snacks like crackers or granola bars can keep you from making an unnecessary trip through your local fast food drive-thru. Use your imagination-the goal here is to distract the kids when you’re on the road…so they don’t distract you.
4) Don’t multitask with the kids in the car. Don’t try to attend to your kids’ needs while you are driving. Seemingly quick and easy tasks such as wiping runny noses, opening juice boxes or reaching into the back seat can have disastrous results, as they cause you to divert your attention from the road. A vehicle crash can occur in less than a second, or it can be averted in less than a second. It all depends on whether or not you are paying attention to the road during that second. If you have to attend to your children while on the road…just pull over. It may seem inconvenient, but getting into a crash, one that could potentially injure your child, is much more inconvenient.
