Being a family person means that you have to travel around with your kids in the car. While this may sound quite enjoyable, it can turn out to be risky unless your car is equipped with the right accessories to ensure safety.
Aside from buying a car that meets the needs of your family in both space and safety, there are certain practices that can be implemented in order to ensure that your car is safe for your children. Let’s say you just drove off the lot with a Honda van, these are some of the best ways to make it child-friendly:
Fasten the Seatbelts
Fastening the seatbelts properly every time you get inside the car is a good practice. Since children learn best by watching grown-ups around them, this will be a simple yet effective way to inculcate this practice in them.
Before driving, ensure that the seatbelts of the children are fastened properly and that they are twisted. In case, your child unbuckles the seatbelt while you are driving, it is wise to pull over and buckle it up properly before you start driving again. While doing this, you should explain to your child the reason behind it so that s/he understands the significance of the seatbelt.
Install Child Seats
A child safety seat is one of the best protective gear that can protect your child from the impact of an accident. With a child seat installed, there is hardly any need for an adult to be present in the back seat to supervise the child. That being said, while buying a child seat, you should keep in mind that not all seats fit. You should check whether the seat is of the appropriate size to fit your child in. Also, it should be of the right specifications to fit inside your car.
Many cars nowadays, are equipped with a system that allows for easy installation of the child seats. For example, LATCH systems make it easy for installing car seats for children.
Installing a child safety seat isn’t a difficult process. You can accomplish this yourself. You can attach the seatbelt in two ways. You can install it in a way that the seat faces the front of the car or the rear. Adjust the harness straps well so that they can be tightened. Keep in mind that the shoulder straps should be attached at the lowest possible position.
Set Up Child Lock
Most kids love to fidget. They may fidget with the seats, belts and even the locks of the car. Sometimes, they may also tug at the handles of the car lock system. This can make it quite difficult and dangerous to drive the car. Therefore, it is crucial to equip the car with child safety locks. These systems should be set up for both the back doors of the car for maximum safety. Before driving, ensure that both these locks are secured firmly.
Keep the Car Clean
A dirty car is unhygienic. Leftover food crumbs and beverages spilled inside the car can produce unpleasant odours. Additionally, these can attract insects inside the car. Dust may not agree with your child’s eyes and skin, thus creating infections. Cleaning the car will keep your child from eating anything that s/he shouldn’t.
In addition to that, beverages and food may spill and build up crevices. This can be one of the causes of buckles getting stuck. Such a situation can turn out to be quite dangerous in the event of emergencies. Therefore, the car should be kept clean at all times.
Keep a First Aid Kit Handy
A first aid kit is an absolute necessity that should be present in all cars. It should contain bandages, cotton, antiseptic, creams etc. With kids onboard, the possibility of cuts and minor accidents increases. This kit will ensure safety.
Do Not Overload Your Car With Accessories
Too many toys inside the car can increase the risk of distraction and injuries. Children can topple over while trying to reach for the toys thus increasing the possibilities of accidents. Therefore, keeping the accessories in the car to a minimum is wise.
Quick Tip:
While implementing these methods is an investment to ensure your child’s safety, you can also consider investing in private number plates for your child. Not only are these wonderful gift options, but depending upon the text you include, DVLA private number plates can fetch a steep sum of money at a later stage if you wish to sell them.
These measures will ensure maximum safety for your child inside the car.
Kent Charlie
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