Any parent will tell you that the morning school run, combined with the stress of navigating bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic, can ruin even the most beautiful winter morning.
While we can’t take your place in the crowded commute, we do have some suggestions for making it easier and safer…
Secure your seatbelts
“Children are the most vulnerable of all road users,” says Eugene Herbert, project co-ordinator of Driving Skills for Life (DSFL) South Africa – Ford’s responsible driver training programme. “Parents must recommit to safe habits in the car. Make it a rule that you never start your car unless all children and adults have their safety belts on, and are sitting in the correct positions.”
Leave home a few minutes earlier to allow yourself enough time to make sure your kids are strapped in before you start driving. All school bags or other heavy items should be packed in the boot. If harsh braking is required, unsecured items in the cabin become dangerous missiles.
Rear-seat passengers who aren’t buckled in could injure other occupants when they are flung forward or to the side. If your vehicle is equipped with airbags, they probably won’t deploy if your seatbelt isn’t properly clipped in. Once they reach the manufacturer’s weight limit on their safety seat, children under 12 or shorter than 1.5m should graduate to a booster seat, preferably in the rear, used with the vehicle’s built-in seatbelts.
The lower part of the seatbelt should go across your child’s pelvis, not his stomach. The shoulder belt should sit on his chest and collarbone, and not touch his face or neck. And it should never be put behind your child’s back, or under his arm.
Give it some space
While it may seem like an inconvenience, the fact is you have to share the road with other vehicles, including taxis and buses. Remember that they, too, are transporting precious cargo – somebody else’s kids. Running late for school causes you to drive faster than you normally would, and often results in tailgating and weaving through traffic to make up for lost time. If you can’t see the mirrors of the vehicle in front of you, that driver can’t see you. A longer following distance increases your line of sight, which gives you more opportunities to spot and avoid potential problems. A following distance of three seconds is considered safe on dry roads.
Drive slower at drop-off points
Drop-off points can often be chaotic. Children may not always pay attention to the traffic dangers around them when disembarking and crossing roads. Even parking lots, with their very low-speed limits, are high-risk sites for accidents, because kids, being small in stature, are more difficult to see between parked vehicles.
If a child pops out from behind a vehicle without warning or misjudges the distance between themselves and your vehicle, and darts in front of you, you may need to brake or swerve suddenly. By adhering to the speed limit, you allow yourself more time to react and take evasive action.
Make use of a reputable children’s transportation service
If you have to rely on a privately contracted children’s transportation service for your kids, Herbert advises that you choose trustworthy and properly trained transporters, where your child has his own seat, and safety belt. Teach your child that they do not have to get in a car where they feel unsafe, and what they should do instead.
