Every parent must prioritize the safety of their child in the car. Given that most parents drive with their children daily, it’s crucial to ensure that they are protected and secure.
Car safety extends beyond simply strapping your child in. Locations like parking lots, driveways, and crosswalks can be just as hazardous as the rear seat of a car.
Continue reading for our top recommendations on ensuring your child’s safety in and around cars.
Select and Set up the Appropriate Car Seat for Your Child
Adapting your vehicle for your child’s safety, whether they’re just ten weeks or ten years old, is vital. Kids under seven or not taller than 145 cm must be safely buckled into a car seat that fulfills all necessary regulations.
The seat should be appropriate for your child’s size and height, properly set up in your vehicle, and securely tightened and tailored to your child’s body. A built-in harness is required for kids under four, while those older can utilize a seat with a harness or a booster seat.
Don’t forget to select a car seat with anchorage points that match those in your car. Diono Radian series car seats meet international child safety standards and allow for rear and front-facing installation.
Enable the Child Protection Locks
Always ensure the child safety locks on your car’s doors and windows are engaged to stop children from opening them during transit. This measure helps children avoid potential injuries or exposure to dangerous circumstances.
Unintended activation of a power window by a child can result in trapped hands, arms, fingers, or even heads, causing injury. Control over the vehicle’s doors and windows must remain solely with the driver.
Do Not Allow Children to Eat in the Vehicle
There may be times when, due to the demands of life and scheduling, it might seem inevitable that your child’s snack time will overlap with a car journey. However, allowing children to eat in the car can pose significant risks.
For instance, if a child starts choking on a piece of food following a rough patch on the road, you might not promptly notice or be able to react immediately.
Instead, consider providing your child with snacks before embarking on the car ride. You could also offer toys as a source of amusement and diversion, reducing the reliance on food for entertainment.
If feeding during the trip is unavoidable, such as during a lengthy road journey, choose safer snack options that minimize choking hazards. Snacks like Go-Gurt, pudding, or applesauce pouches could be safer alternatives.
Safeguard your Family Around Vehicles in Driveways and Parkings
Seeing children through a car’s rear view mirror can be challenging, and incidents can occur swiftly in parking spaces or driveways. Ensure your kids do not play around parked vehicles and supervise them meticulously in crowded areas.
If your child is little, it’s advisable to clasp their hand until you’ve securely exited the vicinity. You can instruct older kids to stay at a safe distance where you can see them when a car is backing up nearby.
Lower Your Car Windows Before Reversing
Most contemporary vehicles are equipped with trustworthy rearview cameras, significantly reducing the risk of accidents involving small children during reversing maneuvers. However, it remains a best practice to lower your car windows, switch off the radio, and reverse at a measured pace, especially in the presence of children.
This strategy ensures you maintain an acute awareness of your surroundings.
Always prevent kids from playing near cars without an adult’s watchful eye. Lacking appropriate supervision, a child could potentially enter an unsecured vehicle or get stuck in the trunk, which could lead to life-threatening situations such as suffocation or heatstroke.
Those in charge of children must ensure that doors and trunks of parked vehicles are always locked.
