Car Safety Tips for Kids: What Parents Should Pay Attention To

Bydaniela

safety tips

Car Safety Tips for Kids: What Parents Should Pay Attention To

Being a parent implies hundreds and hundreds of responsibilities, worries and concerns, especially when it comes to the child’s safety. Driving around with a child also means that you have to pay attention to every little detail, no matter how small or unimportant it may seem. Luckily for everybody, there are plenty of experts to offer us guidance when it comes to car safety tips and advice.

Let’s take a look over some of them and maybe learn a few new things:

• Make sure the child’s car seat straps are snug and secure. Many parents think that firmly securing the straps induces discomfort or pain in the child, but specialists beg to differ. No matter the circumstance, the straps have to offer the child as much security they can.

• Make sure the child doesn’t wear bulky clothes while sitting in the car seat. Bulky winter clothes usually make it necessary for the parent to loosen up the car seat straps, thus breaking the first rule mentioned above. If the car is properly heated, the child can have his winter jacket removed and strapped safely with the straps.

• Keep the child rear-facing for as long as you can. Specialists recommend that you use an infant car seat for the child – which is always rear facing – at least until he is 2 years old. However, after this age, parents prefer convertible car seats which can be also forward-facing. Specialists recommend you to keep the child rear-facing for as long as you can as this is the safest way to drive around with your child.

• Make sure everybody in the car is wearing a seat belt. No matter if your child is still placed in a child’s seat or not, everybody in the car should wear their seat belts – even the older children or adults in the back. Studies show that severe car accidents are three times more likely to be fatal to the passengers if one of them doesn’t wear a seat belt.

• Don’t talk on the phone or text while driving. This goes without saying, but there are so many accidents caused by distracted drivers, specialists can’t emphasize enough the importance of being alert while driving and not have your attention switch from one thing to the next.

• Get a brand new child car seat and mind its expiration date. Usually, kids’ car seats can resist up to six or eight years, but they do get broken and worn out, especially if you use them with more than one child. Moreover, don’t settle for borrowed or hand-me-down car seats. While some things can pass from one older child to another, car seats need to be brand new, technologically fit, approved and verified. Used car seats bought online are not a good idea.

• If you have been even in a mild car accident, the child’s car seat needs to be replaced. If the child was or wasn’t in the back of the car it’s not important. Even a mild car accident can subtly damage the kid’s car seat – which absorbs some of the crash impact force. Even if some kids’ car seats have a minor crash protocol, most seat manufacturers advise parents to change the seat after a car accident.

• Speaking of accidents or traffic events, don’t forget to have a Red Panic Button app installed on your phone or your kid’s phone – if he is old enough to own / use one. No matter if you get lost, engaged in a traffic event or you simply experience a car malfunction / flat / technical problem, the Panic Button will get your close ones by your side in no time. The Panic app sends a SMS text to your list of emergency contacts containing your GPS location and thus alerting everyone that you are in distress and you need immediate attention.

Keep you child safe with these car safety tricks and recommendations and never forget to take supplemental precautions whenever you drive, with or without your children.