Protecting Children from North Carolina Car, Truck and Motorcycle Accidents
Your children are your lifeblood. You’ve bent over backward to nurse them, educate them, and protect them from the scary and dangerous aspects of the world. You would like even more help on the “preventing North Carolina car accidents” front.
Below, we’ve compiled some battle tips to help you and your family engage in practices that protect your precious little ones from North Carolina car, truck, motorcycle accidents.
• Rear-facing Car Seats
Most parents know that children under the age of two should be placed in rear-facing car seats. But what happens after age two? Does it make a difference whether the car seat is rear-facing or front-facing? The current scientific consensus suggests: if possible, keep your child facing rear, even after age two. Indeed, some safety experts believe that almost all passengers – including adults! – would be safer facing rear. Obviously, this does not include drivers.
• Limit Driving
How far away is your day care or school? Is it 10 minutes away, 20 minutes away, further? The more miles you drive with your children, the greater the chance that you will get into an accident. It’s simple statistics. Obviously, you don’t want to make yourself nuts. We live in a practical world, and you need to make some tradeoffs. If you don’t drive anywhere with your child, how will he or she attend school, go to practices, etc.? But if you spend some time analyzing what you can do to spend fewer hours behind the wheel with your child, you’re going to benefit. Even if you only shave off 2,400 miles a year – roughly 50 miles a week – that’s 2,400 miles fewer per year that you are at risk for injuries and accidents.
• Minimize “Behind the Wheel” Distractions
Most conscientious parents know not to talk or text on the cell phone with or without a child in the car. But children themselves are self-perpetuating distractions. You can’t help that. But you can do things like keep idle chatter to a minimum, hammer home the message that when you are behind the wheel you need to concentrate, and prohibit children from watching movies or playing noisy video games unless they wear earphones (so you don’t get distracted by the stories or sounds). Don’t be afraid to be strict here – distracted driving is a real and tangible killer.
• Teach Your Children Good Safety Habits from an Early Age.
Again, this probably goes without saying. But you’d be surprised at how many parents don’t actually train their kids effectively for walking in parking lots (always hold mommy’s hand!), crossing the street (always look both ways before crossing!), and so on.
• Avoid Driving When You are Fatigued, Angry, Overwhelmed, on Medications, etc.
Only drive if and when you feel you are in shape to do so – even if that means cancelling a play date, skipping a practice, or keeping your child home from school. Don’t be foolish, and don’t take unnecessary risks.
For help with specific questions regarding an incident or accident, connect with a powerful, competent North Carolina car accident law firm.
More web resources:
More information on the front-facing versus rear-facing car seat dilemma
Safe driving tips for parents
