6 Driving Tips to Ensure Your Family’s Safety on the Road
Whether you are a parent, a grandparent, or a loving aunt or uncle, driving with children in the car is a big responsibility. You know that every time you buckle them up and climb into the driver’s seat. You know that every time a car speeds by you or you miss a turn, you’re too busy being safe in a hectic traffic situation. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick list of 6 driving tips to ensure your family’s safety on the road.
We all know that keeping your family safe on the road is the most important thing, more important even than making it to your destination on time. But you can do everything with planning, skill, and technological backup. So let’s dive into the top six driving tips to ensure your family’s safety on the road from the moment you buckle up to arrival at your destination.
1) Get Your Vehicle Checked Out
The first of our 6 Driving Tips to Ensure Your Family’s Safety on the Road is to ensure your vehicle is in excellent condition with a full inspection and tune-up. The last thing you want is a lingering-yet-silent car problem to put your family at risk on the highway. So get your vehicle checked out from top to bottom. Have the belts, brakes, and wipers inspected? Get the oil changed. Ask the mechanic for advice on making sure your car isn’t just safe to commute in and safe to drive your children or nieces and nephews around. From there, check in every six months for oil changes, tire rotation, and other regular maintenance. Don’t wait for your dashboard to light up! Be proactive.
2) Install Hands-Free Mode On Your Smartphone
Next, make sure you never-ever drive distracted. Whether you use your car’s built-in computer or mount your smartphone on the dash, poking at apps is an excellent way to ultimately miss a side swipe. Instead, install Android Auto or, if you’re an iOS user, Carplay. These two apps lock your in-vehicle devices into hands-free mode whenever the vehicle is on the road. They can also be used with your phone or from a car’s onboard screen, turning your whole vehicle into a safely smart computerized experience.
3) Drive Safely and Defensively
When preparing to play chauffeur for the family, brush up on your defensive driving skills. Remember to check your mirrors, guard your sides, and turn cautiously. But most importantly, don’t trust what other drivers are doing even if they do use their signals. Continually drive for others & anticipate what other drivers are going to do. You never know when someone else is distracted, impatient, or even drunk behind the wheel. Only move your car where it’s safe to be, keep a safe distance from other drivers, and be prepared to brake or dodge at any moment.
4) Don’t Get Distracted On the Road
Be very careful about what not to do. Children in the car can be uniquely distracting when they happily chat with you or unhappily fidget or disagree with each other. Remember that your first duty is to drive the family safely, not to fish dropped sippy cups off the floor. If the inside of the car gets too hectic, pull over to solve problems so that you can focus on driving while the vehicle is in motion.
5) Teach Your Kids Safe Driving Through Modeling and Conversation
It’s never too early to teach children good driving practices. You can prepare by modeling behavior, but children will learn even better if you talk through your process. For example, say things like, “I’m looking both ways before I turn to make sure another car isn’t coming through,” and “I’m slowing down because the cars in front of me are slowing down. After all, I can’t go through them”. This narrative of good driving thoughts will stick with your children for years and form a safe driving foundation for when they are finally old enough to try their hand behind the wheel for the first time.
6) Always Know Where You’re Going to Park
Following a navigation app’s directions to your destination is one thing. But in some locations, parking is an entirely different story. Tired kids and heavy traffic are not ideal for cruising nearby blocks or full parking garages for an open spot. You probably also want to ensure that you can find a safe location close to your destination, especially when traveling with small children.
With mobile parking app companies, you can review open parking spots and even reserve a parking spot to know precisely where your vehicle will stop at the end of a trip with your children. Then, you can find your site quickly, turn off the car, and catch a breath before packing everyone off to lessons or the hotel or whatever you came to do as a family.
We hope you enjoyed our blog on 6 Driving Tips to Ensure Your Family’s Safety on the Road! Be safe out there, and enjoy your road trip.
