Why it’s never too early to teach your kids about car safety
How much does your child know about car safety? Find out why you need to teach them now, and what to tell them.
Every parent’s worst nightmare is having their child be injured in an accident. We take for granted that our children are safe within our care, but anything can happen, especially in a vehicle.
It’s never too early to teach your child about car safety. Even toddlers need to be taught the importance of staying safe when in or around a car. It only takes one second of careless playing or a reckless driver to change everything whether you are in Ft. Lauderdale or Boston.
Parents are the ones that are responsible for not only keeping their kids safe around cars but teaching them the essential rules about car safety. Starting early with guidelines such as always wearing a seatbelt and never playing in a parking lot can help to instill these rules at an early age.
Most parents spend a lot of time researching things like the safest car seats for their children, but there are many dangerous risks to consider outside of a car. No parent wants to have to research a Boston or Ft. Lauderdale car accidents lawyer, so making some proactive rules for your children about car safety could save their lives.
With that in mind, let’s look at a few safety rules that you should be teaching your children at a young age.
Parking lot safety
It’s crucial to teach children that parking lots can be hazardous, and it only takes a moment for an accident to happen. As children get out of a car in a parking lot, make it a rule to remain touching the vehicle until a parent has taken hold of their hand.
This way, in the excitement of arriving at a destination, children will not be able to wander into the larger parking areas on their own.
Seat belts
The simple fact is that seat belts save lives. Making a standard rule that the vehicle doesn’t move until all passengers have securely fastened their seatbelts can quickly develop safe habits.
A parent should check all children’s belts for secure fastening. Seatbelts should never be shared between children and should be properly unraveled and not twisted.
Eating in the car
It seems like kids can’t go anywhere in a car without having a snack. Although this may seem like a harmless habit, it has hidden dangers that parents might not realize.
A simple snack in the car can quickly turn deadly on the road. Traveling over bumpy roads can cause a child to accidentally choke, so all snacks should be saved for your destination.
Car noise
It’s no secret to any parent the amount of loud noise that kids can generate in the back seats. However, it’s not a big deal for kids to talk and play while in the car. A loud volume of noise can be very distracting to the driver.
With the technology offered today, keeping kids quiet in the back seat can be as simple as putting on a movie for them to enjoy. Set a strict rule of no loud yelling or playing while the car moves to keep passengers safe, and drivers concentrate on the road.
Back-up warning
It may be a challenge to teach young toddlers how to know when a car is preparing to back up, but pointing out the signs could help save their lives. Every vehicle that engages the reverse gear will display white lights about their brake lights. Teach your kids what it means when they see these lights and that they should get out of the way and use caution.
Part of being a parent is teaching your children to navigate the world around them safely. Start talking to your kids early about how to stay safe in and around cars so that you can avoid dangerous situations.
