Many families are taking last minute vacations before the kids head back to school. With high airfare costs, many will choose to travel by car. Following simple car safety tips during this last stretch of summer will keep children safe and mitigate the chances of a car accident.
Perform Car Maintenance: Before leaving on vacation make sure your car, including the vehicle’s air condition, is in good condition.
Properly Install Car Seats: Make sure car seats and booster seats are properly installed and your children are secure in their seats. Additionally, children under the age of 12 should always ride in the back seat.
Secure Loose Objects. Cell phones, cameras and other loose objects in the car can become dangerous weapons in the event of the crash due to the force caused by an accident. Making sure they are secure can prevent injuries.
Ban Unsupervised Children in the Car: It is tempting to leave your children in the car to run a quick errand. However, with record breaking heat temps, this could be catastrophic. Car temperatures can rise to a deadly degree in less than 10 minutes-even when the windows are cracked.
Keep Children Hydrated. Children can dehydrate quickly in hot summer temperatures. Make sure you have cool water available in the car.
Lock Car Doors. When the car is not in use, make sure you lock the car doors to ensure that children don’t enter the vehicle by themselves.
Curb Children’s Boredom. Bring books and toys to keep children occupied. The more content your children are, the less distracted you will be from driving. Make sure, however, these items are put away securely when not in use will reduce the risk that they will be dangerous projectile objects in the event of a collision.
Lastly, the most important thing to remember on your car trip is to have fun!
Source: Parents Central, Safe for Life, 2012
