Driving with children

by Tamsin McCahill on 29.01.08

Chances are that when we were kids, most of us were able to ride up front where Mum or Dad could keep an eye on us. Now, with the advent of car seats and safety features like passenger airbags, children and toddlers are banished to the back seat – which can be a problem if you’re the only adult in the car and your child is behind you, playing up.

According to a Halfords survey, 99% of parents had been distracted by noisy children in the car. More than half of the 2,000 parents who took part said they believed that driving with a screaming child was more dangerous than using a mobile phone.

This may just be a survey, but road traffic statistics from the States show how dangerous such distractions can be. According to the University of Richmond in Virginia, being distracted by other passengers, including children, was said to be responsible for 9% of road accidents.

But we can’t always leave the kids at home, so that means we must manage the distraction they cause. Firstly, a sleepy baby is a quiet baby, so keep your children awake before you get in the car if you know you have a long journey coming up. If they’re old enough, try to get them to play energetic games to really tire them out. Then, when in the car, ensure you have adequate sun shades to keep the light outside from waking them up.

Once they’re safely in their car seat, feed them! A good way of keeping a toddler quiet is to give them a small pack of raisins, or something that it takes ages for them to eat, like a dried fruit bar.

Take a special cuddly toy or game with you that they never normally get a chance to play with. For young babies, you can also get activity centres which attach to their car seats. Also, plan some breaks along the way to break the monotony for them, and reduce tiredness for you.

Keeping older children informed as to where you are in the journey will avoid the constant cry of, “are we there yet?” Before you leave, you could even teach them how to read a map so they can follow the route as you drive.

Read part two-> Driving with pets
Back to introduction-> Car safety - what you can do

IMAGES by Flickr users Alex & le temps qui passe and The Wandering Angel