Ensuring That Children Are Safe In The Car - Vol.52
Today, as compared to diseases, people die more in road accidents. Among which children are more prone to such misfortunate events. Therefore travelling with children requires lot of preparation beforehand, for their safety. According to the study at National highway Traffic Safety Administration, children are more prone to accidents due to incorrect car seats. Parents take care of everything to keep their children safe, but sometimes they do not use correct car seats or do not anchor the car seats correctly in the car, which leads to serious accidents.
Lower Anchor and Tether for Children (LATCH) system was made for safety of children in car. The system is developed so that the parents can easily install the car seat in the car correctly. Still many parents are found to use seat belts to anchor the car seats instead of LATCH system. The upper tether provided in the system is useful to give additional safety feature to the kid. It balances the head properly and reduces the forward movement of the head which in turn decreases the harmful impact on the head of the child. In spite of such vital feature, very few parents are seen to use the upper tether for their child.
Good care by parents and caregivers will protect the child from getting hurt in car. Hence they should be extra cautious and understand the importance of correct anchoring of car seats in the car. Parents can ensure the safety of their child by following preventive measures which will ensure the safe departure and safe arrival of the children in the car. Parents can follow the below given instructions in order to prevent any misfortunate accidents to their children:
· Before buying car seat, first get child's appropriate age and weight and accordingly buy the car seat. Go through the basic guidelines before getting equipment. An infant below 12 months having weight below 20 pounds should be placed rear facing to car seat. Infants around 48 months and weight of 40 pounds should be facing forward. Use booster seats at appropriate age of the child. In some states the booster seats used till the kid is 8 years old.
· Child of any age should understand the importance of safety features. The child must compulsorily follow the safety measures while in car. Child of any age is prone to small or big accidents. The kid must follow the instructions of their parents such as using seat belts and sitting in the back seat.
· Parents should have proper knowledge of use of booster seats and car seats. Incorrect installation will reduce the effectiveness of the restraint equipment. The equipment should not move too much at the base. Parents should also check the tightness of the seat belts and comfort of the child. When required diaper change or clothes change should be done easily in the car seat itself. Parents can also attend the car seat correct installation and safety classes. Always read the manufacturer's guidelines and install the seat correctly.
· When there is a kid in the car, the driver should always drive with safety features in mind. The parents should follow the traffic rules and drive safely. Always make sure that while travelling with kid, leave the place early and drive safely to reach the destination. The parents may need to stop the car in order to attend the immediate needs of the child on the way; hence, starting early is a wise decision.
· Make sure the parents develop good focused driving skills. There could be lot of yelling and distraction from the child. If required pull over on the side of the road and enforce the discipline in order to understand the importance of safe driving.
In order to have good and safe vacation with kids, parents should explain their kids the importance of safe driving.