Travelling with kids in the car, whether on your day-to-day school run or a weekend shopping trip, comes with the responsibility of keeping them safe. While you may not have control over other drivers, you can make sure that children are properly protected in your own car. Not sure where to start? Here are a few tips on how to keep your precious cargo safe while travelling in the car.
Buckle up basics
Before you drive away, have everyone buckle up. It’s important to do this for every trip, no matter how short. You can set a good example for children by always wearing your own seatbelt. Only start driving when everyone’s seat belts are on and secure.
Follow the law
Car safety for children starts with correctly fitting child restraints. A car seat is fundamental for keeping your baby or toddler safe on car journeys. In South Africa, the law states that it is illegal for an infant (a child under 3 years) to travel without being strapped into a suitable car seat. If your child weighs 9kgs or less, they must be in a rear-facing car seat.
The law does not differentiate between a child (a person between the ages of three and fourteen) being strapped into a normal seat belt and a child car seat/booster. However, crash tests show that children under 1.5m are much safer in car seats or booster seats. Children strapped in with seatbelts before they are tall enough to achieve a good fit for the seatbelt, were found to be three times more likely to be injured in a crash than adults. Ensure you get the correct car seat for your child’s age and weight and install it correctly.
Before purchasing a car seat, check if your car has ISOFIX anchors to ensure you buy the correct seat.
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Never leave children alone in a car
Even if you’re only planning on stepping out of the car for a few minutes, you should never leave a child unattended in a car. A variety of dangers can occur, including a child fiddling with controls causing the car to move.
On a hot day, the temperature inside a car can also get to dangerously high levels and cause serious harm or even death to your child. Children are particularly susceptible to overheating and dehydration, and inside a hot car, a toddler’s body temperature can rise three to five times as quickly as that of an adult, which can lead directly to heatstroke and death.
Be prepared in the event of a hijacking
Hijackings, unfortunately, remain a reality and anyone who drives a car needs to be aware and cautions. Being a victim of hijacking while you are alone in your vehicle is traumatic enough, but having your children with you is even more harrowing.
Never leave your children in the car alone, especially if you must get out to open a gate. It is advised that they exit the vehicle with you so that you are all separated from the vehicle should an attack occur.
When travelling with your children, The National Hijack Prevention Academy recommends that the youngest child should be seated behind the driver and the oldest to the left. This way, if you are hijacked and need to get out of the car, you can move quickly from the driver’s door to the door directly behind it. You can reach across the youngest child to unstrap the older child. The eldest child can cling to you as you remove them both together.
Furthermore, as you exit the vehicle take the key with you. You need the key as a ‘negotiating tool’. The perpetrators want your vehicle, and you want your children.
If you have a central locking system, remember to open all doors before getting out of the car and handing the keys over to the hijacker. This will allow you to open your rear passenger doors and get your children out while the hijacker is getting into the driving seat. Remain as calm as possible and follow the hijacker’s instructions interacting with them only to make clear what movements you are about to make.
Don’t be tempted to text
We all know the temptation to check our cell phones when we hear a notification, but reading and responding to messages while driving is a big no-no. Put your phone on silent while driving, so you aren’t tempted to check your phone every time it chimes.
The risk that you put yourself, your passengers and other road users in by being distracted by your phone is not worth it.
Activate child safety locks
To prevent children from opening the doors while the car is moving, activate the child safety locks on your car doors. These locks are usually found on the inside of the car doors. You should also lock the electric windows to prevent your children from getting injured. Children can unintentionally trigger an electric window, trapping hands, fingers, arms or even their head. At the push of a button, the driver can make the car much safer for children by having complete control over electric windows.
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