Most kids are out of school during the summer, which means they travel more in the family car on vacations or going to and from activities. They also spend more leisure time outside. Drivers should take special precautions when they have child passengers or are driving in areas where kids might be at play. Young passengers must be properly restrained, and vehicle operators should be on the lookout for youngsters playing near streets.
Benefits
Summer driving safety is beneficial because it prevents tragedies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, reports that four kids below age 14 were killed in car crashes every day in 2008. Vehicle strikes injured 115,000 kids and killed 262 in 2007, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. These statistics can be reduced if drivers take precautions to prevent injuries and accidents.
Protection
Drivers can protect child passengers by restraining them properly, the CDC explains. Infants and toddlers up to age 4 should be placed in appropriate child safety seats in the back seat of the vehicle. Kids aged 4 to 7 need booster seats, and older kids can use standard seat belts. They should ride in the back seat until age 13, the CDC recommends. If a car is too small to safely hold the whole family and luggage for a summer vacation, the driver should rent an appropriate vehicle in which kids can be properly restrained.
Precautions
Drivers should take precautions even when there are no kids in the car. Youngsters can run into roadways unexpectedly while chasing a ball, pet or friend. Colorado law firm Bachus & Schanker recommends summer precautions such as driving slowly in residential areas and near playgrounds and being alert for kids who appear suddenly. Drivers should never send text messages or talk on the phone at any time, but it's especially important to refrain from those activities where kids are frequently encountered.
Prevention
Drivers have a responsibility to protect their child passengers and operate their vehicles defensively, but kids can prevent accidents, too, if they learn certain rules about riding in cars and being careful during summertime play. Youngsters should learn to use a seat belt whenever they ride in a vehicle. They should know the rules of safe play, which include avoiding busy streets and never running into the road to chase anything without stopping to check for traffic. They should also operate bicycles safely.
Warning
Summer driving safety regarding kids often focuses on proper restraint in the vehicle and avoidance of accidents. In an interview with ABCNews.com, Jan Null, a San Francisco State University meteorologist, warns that dying in hot cars is another seasonal danger. ABCNews.com reporter Russell Goldman explains that most kids are killed by overheating when adult drivers accidentally leave them in the vehicle, although Null states youngsters sometimes trap themselves when playing in and around cars. In 2009, 33 kids died in hot vehicles. Drivers should always double check vehicles for young passengers on hot summer days and lock the doors to keep kids from playing inside.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Injury Prevention & Control - Motor Vehicle Safety
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Not-In-Traffic Surveillance 2007 - Children
- ABC News: Kids Dying at Record Pace in Hot, Locked Cars
- Bachus & Schanker LLC: Children Involved in More Accidents During Summer
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