Road Safety Training Begins when Children Are Young

For too many people kids' auto safety starts with their first baby auto seat on the first drive home from the hospital and it ends sometime around 6 or 7 years old when the kids finally outgrow their booster seats and graduate into the world of adult seatbelts, if they use the belts at all.

This would all change under an in initiative, backed by the "American Automobile Association's Foundation for Traffic Safety", run by J. Peter Kissinger.

Kissinger, speaking to the current edition of AAA Southern New England, Horizons, noted that everything starts out okay. "These days," he noted, "hospitals won't release newborn 'road users (because that is exactly what they are, even though they are riding in mommy or daddy's car in a car sat)' until they've confirmed parents have proper child safety seats installed. Tis is a great way to start people off in life with safety in mind and it helps ensure that from their very first trip, children remain safe."

It's after this point that safety begins to slip into the background. Yes, child safety seats and booster seats are used until the youngsters are old enough to fit into adult seatbelts, as they are required to by law, but, at the same time, parent do not give thought to teaching their children to be safe road users throughout life.

The AAA Safety Foundation wants to make fostering a "traffic safety culture," a goal. This is a culture that makes safety every user's highest priority. The "Foundation believes families cannot start early enough to show children safety is a virtue everyone should value above any other aspect of transportation," Kissinger told Horizon.

Kissinger believes that the new culture should start to be instilled as soon as the first ride home and that adults and children should continue their dialogue about this into adulthood. "Even when they are babies, tell them with smiles and a pleasant tone of voice that you put your seatbelt on, tell them that,too. They'll begin to understand that keeping everyone safe in the car is an important thing that makes you happy," he emphasized.

Discuss safety as children grow

Kissinger continued that as children get older you'll have many opportunities "to teach them about traffic safety. Start by teaching them to be good passengers. Talk to them about buckling their seatbelts, keeping their hands and feet (and everything else) inside the car at all times, and looking to make sure it's clear to before opening a car door or stepping into the street. Make sure they understand these aren't just your rules for your car, but values they should take into every vehicle."

In keeping with this with culture of safety, he noted that "instead of yelling at them when the misbehave, pull over to discipline them, so they know safety is so important, no trip can continue without it." He emphasized that when passengers distract drivers it can cause crashes. They'll get the message that this isn't just a matter of adults being no fun, "this is a safety issue."

Kissinger suggested giving your kids "jobs" inside the car to keep things safe. Those jobs can include:

• Setting the NAV system
• 
  
• Changing CDs or DVDs
• 
  
• Folding maps
• 
  
• Keeping younger children quietly occupied so Daddy and Mommy can stay focused on driving

"Not only will that teach children that avoiding distraction is vital to safety, it will make your trips safer and more pleasant, since you won't be as distracted," he emphasized.

Above all, he noted, be sure to point out dangers situations to children, so children can begin gaining experience in assessing risks. "For example, if a ball rolls into the street, explain that you're stopping because other kids often run out to chase balls without looking for cars," he noted, continuing that it "helps plant the seeds for safe driving when they become licensed themselves and will demonstrated whey they must always look before running into the street."

Patience is important
Or, take a situation where someone is laying on the horn and you simply dismiss it with a light "I guess he's got a problem!" making sure you move over and out of his way. "Children will learn that aggressive drivers just aren't worth engaging. Tell them people do silly, or even angry, things when they drive, but that's their business. Keeping yourself safe is yours.

"Above all, be a good role model. If kids see you put on your seatbelt, avoid distraction and drive in a courteous, safe way, they'll get the message this is the way things should be. You'll help build a strong safety culture that your children will value and perpetuate. It's an important gift that will last their entire lives.

Source: www.aaafoundation.org