Part three in my short series on school safety. Since we're all heading back to school, or already have gone back I thought it might help to remind us as parents of the extras we can do to keep the kids safe. A lot of this reference information comes from the Florida Department of Education Office of School Transportation Management, Office of Safe Schools. Please review them with your children and have a happy beginning of school this year!
Tips for Riders in Cars, SUVs and Trucks:
- Drivers and passengers in vehicles must always use seat belts or car seats. Anyone transporting children needs a child safety seat, booster seat, or safety belt, depending on the children's sizes and ages.
- Preschool age children should always be restrained securely in a child safety restraint system, such as a rear-facing infant seat, rear-facing convertible seat, forward-facing convertible seat, or forward-facing only seat appropriate to their age and weight range. Note: We once had Butterfly at a day care where we spotted one of the teachers transporting her own child in the front seat on her lap with her to school. We promptly withdrew her. That said a lot to me about where that teacher's safety-mindedness was or wasn't.
- All children who have outgrown child safety seats should be properly restrained in booster seats until they are at least 8 years old, unless they are at least 4'9" tall. Butterfly is now 8 and taller than that, so we just moved her to a regular seat belt this year.
- The backseat is the safest place in a crash. Children age 12 and under should ride properly restrained in back. Infants riding in rear-facing seats must NEVER be placed in front of an air bag.
3 comments:
Great "life-saving" information. My 7yo always tells me how his friends parents allow them to sit up in the front seat of the car. I keep telling Isaac that he will remain in the back seat in his booster until his 8th bday and then still he is to remain in the back (lol). He sheepishly asked if he would have to learn to drive when he was a teenager from the backseat too (SMILE). KIDS!!
Great article! In Australia we have very strict rules with children riding in cars....but there are always some who try to disregard these safety rules.
Not sure what age but children are not allowed to travel in front seat of car. Drivers may not be aware but cars with front airbags can do serious damage to a child.
Huge 4WD are very popular- unfortunately with limited viewing to see small children & we have had accidents of children being killed when these cars have been reversing.
Our children are precious and we need to protect them.
Thanks Aurelia and Gaida for your positive feedbacka and comments. I am not looking forward to when my children can drive at all! Everyone does really need to take extra care with these precious kids!
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