Rules of the Road With Kiddos on Board

Rules for the Car (see also: How to Keep Your Kids Safe in and Around the Car)

Following are some pretty basic rules that all parents and caregivers should enforce with our younger passengers:

- A seatbelt must be worn during every trip in the vehicle. It should be fastened before the car is ever in motion and should be left on until the vehicle stops at end of the trip.

- Younger children or children with special needs, should be in a proper restraint system.

- Use ALL seatbelts which means use lap and shoulder belts that buckle as a unit or two separate belts, one lap and one shoulder. However, some have a lap belt only which is fine. Use whatever is available. Teach your kids to look for and secure every belt that's available. Also teach them to wear it properly by not tucking the belt under their armpit, even if they think it is more comfortable that way. If they do that, it makes the belt less effective in a crash.

- Never share seatbelts.

- Sit in the back seat. Kids under 13 years old should always ride in the back seat. This rule protects them from possible injury when a passenger-side air bag deploys. Explain that air bags could seriously hurt a small child because they are designed to protect a person of a much bigger size.

- Stay calm. Kids should understand the importance of being calm and of a decent volume in the back seat. If they are jumping around or yelling, it can distract the driver and put everyone at risk.

- Follow the rules in every car. Kids need to follow the rules if they are in a friend's or relative's car, even if other passengers are not following the rules. If they're asked to sit in the front seat of someone else's car, your child should nicely decline the offer and tell the driver that he or she would rather sit in the back seat.

Feel free to visit Safe Ride 4 Kids for more information