Car safety for children

Babies and small children are totally dependent on the good care and supervision of their parents, particularly when it comes to vehicles. It is likely that most families travel further and spend the most time in their car or vehicle during the school holidays. The car is the most convenient way of getting around but there are precautions a parent can take to keep children and babies in vehicles safe at all times.

While adults do all they can to ensure that their whole vehicle is in good running order, traveling at a safe speed, never drinking and driving, and avoiding driving while they are tired, accidents still happen.

Safety belts and child restraints
The single most important thing you can do to protect your children while driving is to buckle them up properly. Other than being a legal requirement, seat belts make traveling much safer in an event of an accident. Many people do not realize that in a crash going at 50km/h, an unrestrained body will hit the dashboard with a force of between 30 and 60 times your own body weight.

Child safety seats
Child safety seats, when correctly installed and used, reduce the risk of death by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for children aged 1 to 4. They also reduce the need for hospitalization by 69 percent for children aged 4 and under. Finding the right seat can be confusing; thus it's important to use a seat that is appropriate for your child's size and age, and that fits properly to your vehicle. Here are some guidelines that can help:

		All children ages 12 and under should sit in the back seat.
		Infants should be in rear-facing child safety seats until they weigh at least 7.5kg and at least 1 year old. Never put a rear-facing infant or convertible safety seat in the front seat of a vehicle with an active passenger air bag.
		Children over 1 year old and between 8 and 25 kg can be in forward-facing child safety seats, or in rear-facing convertible seats if the child has not reached the maximum rear-facing weight.
		Children ages 4 to 8 (about 15 to 30 kg) should be in a booster seat and restrained with lap and shoulder belts every time they ride.
		Adult safety belts alone do not provide protection from injury in a crash for children this size.
		Usually, children over 30 kg and 8 years old and above can fit correctly into lap/shoulder belts. When the child is sitting all the way back against the vehicle seat, the lap belt should fit across the child's hips, not the stomach. The shoulder belt should cross the center of the shoulder. Do not let your children put shoulder belts under their arms or behind their backs.
		Read your child safety seat instruction manual and vehicle owner's manual carefully for proper installation. The seat should be locked tightly against the vehicle seat and not move more than 1-inch forward or side to side.
		Replace any child safety seat that has been in a crash.

Car seats and coats don't always mix
Before you buckle your baby in a child safety seat, take of any bulky coats or jackets they might be wearing. The child seat harness might not work as well is there's all that cushioning between the baby and the belts. Use blankets instead to keep your baby or child warm.

Some rear view mirrors can be dangerous
Watch out for mirrors sold to help you keep an eye on your rear-facing infant. Many mirrors are stuck to the back window or to the back of the car. In a crash- even if you stop suddenly, can cause the mirror to go flying and hit your child or other occupants in the head.

An unlocked vehicle is a hazard waiting to happen
Always keep your vehicle locked, even if you live in the safest of neighbourhoods. Many deaths were attributed to children and babies being left unattended in or around cars. And it's not just from joy riders- this includes young children who became locked in the car boot.

There are rare instances when children are safest in the front seats
While children younger than 13 are generally safest sitting in the back seat of a vehicle, there is an exception if you drive an older model car that doesn't have a front passenger-side air bag and has a three-point safety belt in the front passenger seat and only has lap belts in the back. In this case, a child who can no longer fit in a front-facing safety seat but doesn't yet fit the vehicle's safety belts properly on his own is best off sitting up front in a booster seat, using the vehicle's lap-shoulder belt.

Ride empty handed
Never allow passengers especially children and babies sitting up front to hold toys, games, or anything else that might come between him and a deploying air bag. Children have been seriously injured when an inflating bag causes the toy to hit their face.

Never leave babies or children in a parked car
It's very important to never leave your children alone a car, even for a few minutes as children can overheat in stationary vehicles very quickly. Cars have even been stolen with young children in time. However, leaving older children in the car with the little ones offers no extra protection either- they may get out of the car, wander off or touch equipment such as brakes.

		Use child locks if they are fitted.
		Teach your children to get out on the footpath side.
		Remove the cigarette lighter and any other unsafe objects and materials from the car.
		Always stay with your children when on the road, driveway and other areas where there are vehicles moving around.

Babies and children deserve the very best protection they can get. Be responsible and make your drive with your children a safe and happy one.