Essential Child Car Safety Tips You Must Know

Caeva O'Callaghan | May 4th, 2015

A survey on child car safety reveals some sobering facts. In 2011, in United States alone more than 650 children below the age of 12 years lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes. An alarming 33% of the children who died in the crash were not buckled up. The use of car seat reduced the risk of death for the infants by a sharp 71%. When booster seats were used, it reduced the risk of serious injury by 45% for children aged between 4 to 8 years. These statistics indicate the vital importance of buckling children properly in their car seats.

Exercise precaution

Know which safety precaution is ideal for your child after into take into consideration the stage they are in. Make sure that you install the car seats and the booster seats after consulting a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician. You must not seat your children in front of an air bag. If your children are riding in the front eat, the detonation of the air bag can pose a serious threat. It is surprising to note the awareness gap which exists. Although 96% of parents believe that they have installed the child safety seats correctly, only a small 10% of the children are properly restrained.

Install the right safety seats

There are some common mistakes we make when installing child safety seats. Most of the times we do not use the child safety seat which is appropriate for the child’s size and age. Additionally, it is important that we place the seat in the right direction. Using a defective or a broken child safety seat can give rise to serious accidents and compromise your little one’s safety. It has been seen that using booster seats is safer for kids than restraining them with a seat belt alone. In addition to the safety measures, one should also take a car insurance that covers all third party from injuries, damages & roadside assistance.

Ensure that the kids are happy

Driving with bored and unhappy children can be very distracting. It can make it difficult for you to concentrate and drive safely. Take a little time out to chat while you drive. This will distract your child. Do not forget to point out of the window, ask your tot to sing along with you or recite his favorite nursery rhyme. It can help a great deal if you praise your child for exhibiting good car behavior. If he has not tried to wriggle out of the seatbelt or has not been playing with the locks, he deserves a praise during the journey for the great behavior. If you want to focus on your driving better, store mgnetic board games and coloring books in the back of the car.
It is recommended that you have a stock of goodies in your car which will keep your child busy. Double check to ensure that the seat belt has not been fastened too tightly which can cause discomfort to your child. Driving is a big responsibility and the risks are higher when you have a child with you in the car.