While we’re all grateful that small children aren’t allowed to drive, keeping them safe on the roads is still very important. That’s why we’ve put together this handy guide to car safety for kids, either as passengers or pedestrians.
In this article:
1 Safety in the Car
TSeats, seatbelts, and locks are the three most important aspects of keeping young children safe in the car. We’ve already discussed the story of seatbelts. It is critical to understand how to use these precautions correctly, as well as the legislation that supports them.
Seat Laws:
Using booster seats or forward- or rear-facing child seats with children is a legal requirement, with the specifics varying by the province in Canada. In general, children must ride in a rear-facing car seat until they weigh around 20 pounds and then in a booster seat until they reach the height of 4 feet and 9 inches (145cm). Check out this chart of the safety regulations for children’s car seats across provinces for a more detailed look, and this page for more information on the seats themselves.
Seatbelts:
Every province in Canada follows strict seatbelt laws, and the laws for children essentially align with those for the seats themselves. The rules generally state that children must be secured with 5-point harnesses until they’re old enough or large enough to use a traditional seatbelt. Once a child has fully outgrown forward-facing car seats and transitioned to a booster seat, you can secure them with a traditional seatbelt, but it’s important not to rush the process.
Child Door Locks:
While there are no laws surrounding the use of child locks, using them with younger children is good practice. Kids can be unpredictable, and things like buttons, handles, and levers often pique their interest. It’s sensible to use child locks until your children reach an age at which they can better understand the implications of proper road safety.
Warning: Never leave children unattended in the car. It can be extremely dangerous. There are three main facets to keeping young children safe in the car: seats, seatbelts, and locks. We talked about the story of seatbelts earlier. It’s important to understand how to use these precautions properly, as well as the legislation behind them.
2 Safety as a Pedestrian
Proper road safety for schoolchildren is a vital part of their development, and the key to road safety is safe crossing.
When teaching your child how to drive safely, it’s critical to set a good example for them while they’re with you. Making clear distinctions between sidewalks and the road itself, as well as choosing safe crossing zones, not running, and walking straight across rather than diagonally, are all important aspects of safety.
Eventually, you won’t be there to hold their hand, which is why you should employ the Stop, Look, Listen, and Think sequence for crossing without supervision.
Stop: Always stop at the edge of the walkway.
Look: Look left and right for cars, bikes, trucks, or other vehicles.
Listen: Listen for vehicles that may be coming around corners, or hidden for any other reason.
Think: Think about whether you have the time to cross the road safely.
With this framework, your children should be perfectly equipped to cross the road safely.
Hopefully, with this guide, you’ll have a better, clearer idea of how to keep your children safe on the roads, both in and out of the vehicle. For more on automobiles, legislation, and other interesting topics, check out our blog here!
