Kids and Car Safety: Four Tips to Stay Safe on the Road

A recent study by Safe Kids Worldwide, a nonprofit organization dedicated to keeping kids safe from serious injuries, found that one in four parents admitted to not properly buckling up their child in a car seat or booster seat during a car trip.  Twenty-one percent of parents surveyed felt it was acceptable to skip buckling up if they were only going a short distance.  As 60 percent of crashes happen within 10 minutes from home, this assumption could have deadly consequences.  Follow these four best child safety practices to keep your kids safe on the road.

 

Place kids in the right type of car seat, based on his age and weight.  Children under the age of 2 should be placed in rear-facing car seats and moved to a front-facing seat at 24 months.  Use a front-facing convertible car seat until your child weighs 100 pounds or outgrows the size of the car seat, typically around 4 years old.  At this point, switch the child into a booster seat, which can be used until the child reaches a height of 4' 9? or can wear the car seatbelt.  After your child outgrows the booster, let him sit in the automobile’s back seat until the age of 13, at which point he can ride in the front.

Develop the habit of buckling up every time.  Any excuse for not buckling up is just that: an excuse.  So whether you’re taking an overnight car trip or double parking while running an errand, keep all seat belts fastened.

Failure to properly restrain children in seat belts or car seats isn’t the only danger associated with cars:

Children are at risk of heatstroke if they remain in a locked vehicle or sneak into the family car.  Never leave your child alone in a vehicle.Kids may sneak into a car trunk and become trapped, risking heatstroke and asphyxiation.  Always lock the trunk.Children may get their fingers or heads stuck in power windows.  Use the child locks.Your car may roll if left in park with the key in the ignition.  Use the emergency break to prevent this.

If you drive a clunker, your children’s safety is the perfect reason to trade it in for a safer car.  The wide availability of auto financing makes it easier to upgrade to a safer ride.  The safest cars of 2012, according to Forbes, include the Audi A6, Volvo S60, Volvo XC60, Volvo S80 and the Infiniti EX35.  The Audi A6 offers collision warning, blind-spot monitoring and night vision systems that make safe driving even easier.  The Volvo models come with a driver alert system (which suggests tired drivers take a break) and a low-speed collision avoidance system to help city drivers.  The EX35's safety features are similar to the Audi A6's, and the car also has adaptive headlights.

What tips do you have for kids and car safety?  Please share your thoughts in the comments below.  For more family travel news, reviews, and trip reports, be sure to follow Adventures by Daddy on Twitter and “like” our Facebook page, too.