Would you leave your child ALONE in the car?

Thinking of leaving your kid alone in the car for just a second? Think again. One second is all it takes for something horrible to happen. There are many safety precautions you have to take before you take your child in your car.

Never leave your child unattended in the car

You should never ever leave your child alone in the car. Sometimes, while we quickly run into a store we may leave child alone inside the car not even thinking about the seriousness of that. During that small period it can lead to serious injuries or deaths. Heatstroke is the leading cause of vehicle related deaths. In hot environments car can heat up very quickly than the outside environment. Although the outside environment is not so hot inside of a car can be so hot. This can lead heatstroke. Not only that, children left alone in cars with opened windows are at a risk of being kidnapped. Even for minutes by leaving your children unattended in vehicles you are needlessly risking their lives.

You may not believe that routines and distractions have caused people to mistakenly leave their children in the car. In order to prevent this you can do some simple steps. Make a habit of checking your vehicle before leaving it and make sure to lock your car so that your kids cannot get into the car on their own. Place a cell phone, brief case or purse in the back seat. This triggers adult to see children. Set reminders in your phone to drop your child at day care. These steps will help you to always remind your kid. Always LOOK before you LOCK.

Always switch off the engine prior to leave the vehicle

If you do not switch off your vehicle prior to leave many tragedies can happen. Children may tend to push different buttons in the car, apply breaks, accelerate, change gears and even leave the car and walk away leading many tragedies to happen. This tragedy can happen not only to your kid and vehicle but to outside parties as well. Therefore, make a habit of taking the car key with you.

Whenever travelling keeps the power windows locked

You may not believe that power windows in vehicles have killed or injured many children. If you do not lock your power window your child may tend to push those buttons of the power windows. Some vehicles have power windows that automatically reverse when an object (such as your child’s arm or neck) is in the path of a closing window. But, some old vehicles do not have that option. Although this option is available or not we cannot always rely on those things. Hence, you should teach your children not to play with power windows. Always make sure to activate the power window lock so that your children cannot play with those windows.

Ensure all passengers wear seat belts

Majority of kids love to play in the back seat while travelling. They don’t want to be seated and wear seat belts. But, you have to make sure that your child is buckled up before start your journey. No matter how short the trip is seat belt should be worn every time. The important thing is seat belts must be worn correctly for them to work properly. Make sure the lap belt fits comfortably across the thighs (not the stomach) and that your child is not slouching. The shoulder strap should go across the chest and shoulder, and never goes beneath a child's arm, behind the back, or across the neck.

Ensure that the child lock is on when children travels on the back seat

When your child travels on the back seat, especially when you are the driver you cannot always see what is going on right behind you. So, the child lock of a vehicle provides a simple, safe and secure method to prevent unauthorized exit from the car. If the child lock is not on your child may tend to get out from the car when the car is in motion. Especially when the car is stopped in traffic, children may open the door and walk away. So, always make sure to switch on the child lock.

Keep all items inside car well secured

If you carry items like knives, poisonous liquids, scissors and etc. those should be stored in a well secured place so that your child cannot reach them. If your child could reach them it can lead to serious injuries or deaths.

You may also have lots of experiences regarding child car safety. Share it with us so that other also can be aware.