Child Car Safety Guide: Tips for Keeping Kids Safe in Atlanta Vehicles

The summertime is exciting, but it means more time in and around cars. While gearing up for summer travel, stay up to date on all the best ways to keep your children safe around cars. Read Greathouse Trial Law’s blog to learn about car safety for children.

Safety In Cars

As we travel for the summer, it’s crucial to stay aware of all the best ways to keep your children safe, particularly when taking care of them in cars.

Car Seats

Infants and toddlers should use rear-facing car seats, which feature a harness. In the event of a crash, a rear-facing seat cradles and moves with your child to keep their neck and spinal cord safe.

Toddlers and preschoolers can use forward-facing seats, which have a harness and tether your child’s movements in case of an accident. These types of car seats can accommodate children up to 65 pounds.

In both cases, it’s crucial to use the car seats correctly every time since about 46% of seats are misused in a way that can reduce their effectiveness. Additionally, be sure to get something easy to use and can accommodate your child as they grow.

Booster Seats

School-aged children can switch to booster seats once they have outgrown their car seats. Boosters allow your children to sit up higher, which ensures that the seatbelt lies across the bones of the chest and pelvis instead of the belly and neck.

Booster seats should be forward-facing in the back seat of your car. It’s crucial to ensure that your children are using the booster seat correctly, so it may be helpful to do a safety check of the seat every time you drive.

Seatbelts

Once your children outgrow their booster seats, they can begin sitting in the backseat without one. According to the CDC, it is best practice for all children twelve and younger to ride in the back seat with buckled seatbelts.

It’s vital to stress the importance of wearing a seatbelt properly. The lap belt should lay across the upper thighs, and the shoulder belt should lay across the shoulder and chest. Ensuring proper use will protect everyone from serious car crash injuries.

Vehicular Heatstroke

Car safety for children isn’t just crucial while driving – it’s also essential to be safe when you arrive at your destination. Vehicular heatstroke in children has increased since 2018, with children accounting for 53% of hot car deaths.

When getting out of the car, ensure that you have your children with you before leaving the vehicle unattended. Even if you’re sure that you have your children with you, it can’t hurt to take a double look.

Safety Around Cars

While car safety for children is vital inside the car, it’s essential outside. It’s crucial to teach children how to be safe around cars and what to do if they’ve been in a car accident.

Driveways

Driveways can become dangerous for children, especially if they are unaware of the dangers that cars can bring. One of the best ways you can keep your children safe is to teach them situational awareness and use those tools yourself.

Before you start to drive, walk around your car to ensure that there is no one around your car. You can also create a space for your children to wait while vehicles are in motion. Designating a safe area for them will keep them out of harm’s way.

Additionally, you should stay with your small children while they get in and out of the car. Hold their hand while you’re walking to your vehicle, and stay by their side until they’re safely inside the car. It’s crucial to keep an eye on your child and teach them safety skills.

Parking Lots

Parking lots have some of the same general rules as driveways. To keep your children safe, be sure to teach them situational awareness and watch them. However, parking lots are more dangerous because of the number of cars.

It’s crucial to stay alert in parking lots. First, be sure to have everything you need before exiting the vehicle. Hold your young child’s hand throughout the parking lot, unless they are a toddler – then you should carry them to the destination instead.

Be sure to use sidewalks and demonstrate good pedestrian skills to your children. Teach them the importance of looking both ways before crossing the street or parking lot, and let them know what reversing cars look like.

Speak to an Expert

Losing a child is heartbreaking – especially when it’s preventable. It’s crucial to teach your children the essential safety skills they need both in and around cars. However, accidents still happen. If your child was injured in a car accident, Greathouse Trial Law is here for you.

Contact us today at (678) 310-2827 or complete our online form for your free case evaluation. Our personal injury law firm aims to serve the great people of Atlanta and to give a voice to the voiceless.