Is Your Child Safe When You Drive?

Ensuring the safety of your child while driving should be a priority. So what should be the do’s and don’ts of driving with a child? What about their car seat? What are the common car seat mistakes we make?

Child safety seats and seat belts are important so that children are rest assured they are safe and protected in case of accidents. These devices should be used properly for them to be effective. You, as a driver, are responsible for child safety.

Where should the child ride?

The back seat is usually safer than the front. Anyone who rides loose though can hurt those who are fastened up by being thrown towards them. People who have no safety belts could be thrown out and have serious injuries. There must be seat belts for each person sitting. Buckling two people, even children, into one belt might injure both. If your child is old enough or big enough to sit without a car seat, then it is very important to make sure they are secured with a seat belt. Most seat belts may be a little big for small children, so you may want to get a seat belt adjuster. Infants must ride facing the rear of the car. The air bag inflates very quickly in a collision. It would hit a rear-facing safety seat hard enough to hurt or even kill the baby.

Does your car have an air bag for the front passenger seat?

A child could be seriously hurt or killed by an inflating air bag.

Airbag Safety

Those that are too close to the air bag could be hurt. Drivers can prevent injuries to children and adults from air bags.

Car Seat Mistakes

Parents would want their children to be secured that’s why they purchase car seats. However, 80% of children aren’t secured properly in a car seat.

Among the easiest mistakes to avoid is to just make sure that your child is in the correct car seat for his age and that he is facing the right direction.

  • Infants should be placed in a rear facing infant only seat or convertible seat until they are a year old and if they weigh 20 pounds, children who reach 20 pounds before their first birthday should still be faced backwards yet this more of a minimum though.
  • After they are twenty pounds and have had their first birthday, toddlers can use a forward facing car seat.
  • All children under 12 years old should be placed in the back seat of the car, especially if you have passenger side air bags.

Another good tip to follow is to only place small children in the back seat of the vehicle. Most vehicles are equipped with airbags, and small children can be injured badly if the airbag were to deploy. Once children are older and bigger, they can be allowed to sit in the front seat, but only once the seat belt can fit them without a seat belt adjuster.