From dropping your children off to school or their activities to carpooling, your care is likely a huge part of your daily life. Your children’s safety is important, especially against those on the road driving out of your control. Check out these 5 ways you can help make your car ride safer for you and your children.
1. Turn off your phone
Even if you might be using a device that leaves you hands-free, talking on the phone is dangerous. It can be distracting, making you focus less on what is happening around you on the road. Plus, if you turn your phone off you aren’t tempted to look at the text messages.
2. Secure those loose items
Items left in the back seat can be harmful for your children. Secure those lose items, such as water bottles, diaper bags, and garbage. These items can hit your children hard in the event of an accident. So, make sure you store them properly in the trunk of the car or in a console.
3. Use the right child restraint
Children need to be within proper child restraints in order to remain safe. Your child should face a rear-facing car seat from birth until age 2, a forward-facing seat with a harness until they can no longer fit in it, and a booster seat until your child reaches 4’9”.
A reliable source to know what is the right car seat for you is from American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Here is some information below to consider. You should also check out this article from Healthy Children about Safety Information on Cat Seats.
4. Organize your car
Make sure your car is stocked with the essential items you will need in case of an accident. Some of the following things you will need:
- Proof of car insurance
- Car’s maintenance manuals
- A flash light
- Emergency contact sheet.
Be sure to toss clutter that could make important things hard to find. Store these necessary items within your car, such as your glove compartment, although you should be fine as long as you have a valid auto insurance policy. If your car is old and a safety hazard replace it by selling it on a sell my junk car website.
5. Carefully snack
If you are always on the go and have your children snacking or eating a quick breakfast before being dropped off to school on a busy morning, you may want to reconsider. The bumpy motion of a car ride can be dangerous for your children as too much food could go down your child’s throat when your attention is on the road. It could likely cause your child to choke. There should only be snacking when there is an adult within the backseat.