Learning to drive is all about learning to adapt and react to your surroundings. Your safety, the safety of your passengers, and the safety of others on the road are your highest priorities. Driving with people in your car, especially children, can make your job as a driver more challenging.
Learn more about your responsibility as a driver when you have children in your car. You should do everything you can to ensure their safety while maintaining your concentration on the road.
Safety Seats
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, all children should use car seats until they exceed the height and weight limits for the seats - usually around age 8. You must adjust the car seat to fit your child and install the seat properly. If you are a new driver, visit your local fire or police station to have car seats installed properly, or contact a local car seat technician.
Unfortunately, many drivers underestimate the importance of using car seats for children. They think that when a child is older, a booster seat or five-point harness is not necessary. However, children should remain in safety seats that allow the seatbelt to go over the strongest part of their body: the hips and chest.
Once your children outgrow their car seats, they should continue to use a belt-positioning booster seat until they are big enough for the seat belt to fit properly.
When a child is too short, the belt can cut into their stomach and the soft tissues of the midriff. In accidents, the forward force of the car can result in the belt causing extensive internal injuries. Without the use of a seatbelt, a child might be ejected from the vehicle.
Also, remember that children should not ride in the front seat at all until they are at least 12 years old.
Loose Objects
Driving with children can mean much more paraphernalia in the car itself. As a rule, try to reduce the number of loose items that are in the car. These become projectiles in motion in a crash. In particular, don't let children store items on the back ledge behind the seat in a car, as these can cause head injuries.
Competing Attention
A big problem for new drivers is distraction, and if you are an adult, your children may be your biggest distraction. The baby might be crying, young children might ask you questions, or you might have two siblings fighting in the back seat.
Train yourself to watch the road first, and don't be tempted to spend more than a second or two checking the rear-view mirror. Children can distract you from the road, and the distraction can be costly.
Before leaving the house, prepare your children from the drive by putting water in the cupholders, snacks where your kids can reach, and toys near the baby. These toys should clip to the seat to prevent them from flying forward in a car accident.
Driver Responsibilities
Finally, recognize your responsibilities as a driver. Children cannot buckle themselves. They cannot share seat belts. It is your job to make sure the straps are tightened on the harness of a car seat. It is also your job to enforce the rules of safety in the car, which might mean pulling over to address issues of a baby who is hungry or a child who won't stop crying.
Never try to multi-task behind the wheel. Stopping is safer for everyone in the car, and everyone else who is still on the road. For more information about driving safely, contact us at Taggart's Driving School.
