Travelling Safe with Kids in the car these Holidays
April in South Africa is synonymous with a host of long weekends, including Easter Weekend, which means South Africans will be travelling all over the country to their holiday spots. Many of the travellers will be families with their children in the cars. With the substantial increase in traffic, comes a dramatic increase of fatal road accidents on our roads.
your job, first and foremost, is to ensure the safety of your kids, pandering to their needs is secondary to this.
“If you are a parent, then you’ll know that driving with kids in the car can be a huge distraction and impair your concentration. Distracted drivers are unsafe drivers; the more time you spend solving fights, bargaining with your kids or looking in the rear-view mirror, the less time you’re devoting to monitoring traffic,” said Farrell.
Many kids get bored on long road trips, sometimes fight with each other and need stimulation in order to keep them settled and happy. This, of course, is a problem when your attention needs to be focused on driving.
Some suggestions for driving more safely with children in the car:
– Set the rules: Lay out the rules in advance by telling your kids ahead of time how you expect them to behave. Share the agenda with them and explain the family rules. For example, tell them that each person can choose music for an hour and that you’ll take away the toys of any child who misbehaves.
– Concentrate on the road: Whatever is going on with your kids in the car, it’s your duty to keep your concentration on the road. If there is another adult in the car, then let them take on the responsibility of dealing with the children and their needs.
– Plan ahead: Pack lots of entertainment and toys. DVD players, music, audiobooks, iPads and other tablet-devices can go a long way in keeping them occupied during the journey. For younger children, try stickers and other little toys to keep them happy.
– Play games: Old-school games like “I Spy” and other interactive guessing games can keep the mood lighthearted and the kids entertained, so brush up on some of these.
– Pack lots of snacks and water: Sometimes bad behaviour is a result of hunger or low blood sugar. Healthy travelling snacks are pretzels, dried fruit and crackers. Save the junk food for desperate scenarios.
– Have regular toilet stops: Allow the children to be able to run around, stretch and let off some steam. This will prevent cabin fever and boredom. Having fun on unplanned stops makes the drive much more exciting.
– Avoid losing your temper: Going crazy is only going to increase the stress of everyone in the car.
– Reward good behaviour: Using incentives such as “no complaining for the next hour means a stop at an ice cream stand”. Or “leaving your sibling alone gets some one-on-one time with Mom or Dad in the pool”. Use this strategy in reverse, too.