1. Fit the car seat properly
Keeping your child safe on car journeys starts with fitting the car seat and child restraints correctly. Different car seat models will not fit the same way in different cars. Find one that is the best fit for your car and suits your child’s weight and height too. Read your vehicle and seat manufacturer instructions on how to fit the seat correctly.
Do not use damaged or worn-out car seats as such can put your child at risk. Ensure the travel and safety equipment for your kids is of the highest safety standards, engineered and tested, to keep them as safe as possible. Do not be tempted to remove the child from their seat while the car is in motion.
2. Buckle up correctly
It is illegal to drive a car in most states without a proper restrain or seat belt. These are designed to be put around just one person and never a child and an adult together. It is also wrong to carry a child on your lap or to ride unrestrained, as such a child can end up causing injury to themselves or others. Any child under 14 should always ride in a child-appropriate restrain or buckled up with a seat belt to keep safe in the car.
3. Activate child safety locks
Ensure the child safety locks on the doors are activated. This will prevent them from opening the doors and windows while in the car and getting trapped or injured. It is easy for the child to fuss around and flick the door switches since they are found on the inside part of the car doors. You can make the car safer for your children by fully controlling the door and window locks.
4. Remove any extras
It would be best if you made the child as immovable as possible while in the car. Remove any blankets or coats from the child’s seat that may come between your child and the harness straps, making them loose. Should you need to cover them with a blanket, lay it across them and never behind or underneath the child. Besides not having clothing on the baby’s seat, remove any hard or projectile objects on the back seat where the child sits.
5. Face the child the right way
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that you keep your children under two years rear-facing. This is still safer for older children, so you can keep them facing this way for as long as possible. However, when they are older and more active, facing them forward may offer them comfort and help them enjoy the ride with you.
6. Don’t leave your kids in the car
Never leave your children unattended in the car, even when you only need to make a quick dash to the grocery store. The children might play with controls, shift gears, cause the car to move, or cause other hazards. When the car is off, the temperatures can rise pretty fast inside the car, making it uncomfortable for the child to the extent of even causing a heat stroke.
Endnote
Follow these tips, and you can rest assured that your children will be safe as you run your errands, take them to and from school, or go out on an adventure. You will also be setting an example for safe diving etiquette for them to follow when they grow up.