Are Your Kids as Safe as They Can Be on the Road?

 

It is simply any parent’s worst nightmare.

They get that call that they always dreaded. Their son or daughter has been seriously injured or even killed in an auto accident.

While you hope you never have to take that call, too many parents in Canada and the U.S. unfortunately have had to do it. Having to bury their child is something they simply could have never physically or emotionally planned for, yet they in fact are doing it.

That said are there ways for parents to prevent that call from ever coming?

In all honesty, there is no 100 percent foolproof means to keep your children safe when they’re behind the wheel as a teen or riding as a passenger with friends.

What is possible, however, is doing all you can as a parent to teach them safe and sound habits each and every time they get into a vehicle.

With that being the case, will your kids be as safe as they can be on the road?

Start by Knowing Who They’re with

As most parents will tell you, it all begins with making sound decisions.

Those decisions start by the friends your son and/or daughter choose as they begin to grow up and make some calls on their own.

With that in mind, are you totally confident with the friend your child gets into a vehicle with? Will that person behind the wheel have your child’s best interests at heart, along with of course their well-being too?

Although you always want to try and sidestep becoming too overbearing in your child’s life, you also do not want to look back one day with regret.

What if you had acted on your intuition? What if you had told your child no when they wanted to accept a ride from that friend? What if you had been just a little more involved?

While it may seem extreme to some, doing a reverse phone lookup on your son or daughter’s friends (especially when you might call one of them into question) is better than having regrets the rest of your life.

Although it would be nice to think that your child would have you meet any friends they plan to regularly hang out with, today’s parents know all too well that isn’t always the case.

If you’re unsure of how to do a reverse phone lookup in such a situation, take note that there are a number of people search/reverse phone lookup companies out there.

Once you find the right one, proceed with your efforts until you get the information you want, notably finding out if the kids calling your child are the best ones to be hanging out with them.

Hopefully that information will leave you with fewer sleepless nights (see more below).

Feel Confident Your Children Are Safe in a Vehicle

Whether your child is behind the wheel or in the passenger or back seats, you want them to be as safe as possible out on the road.

With that being your goal, knowing who they’re riding with is not your only focus.

Among the other safe driving features to key in on:

1. Avoiding distractions

It just takes a second of taking one’s eyes off the roads to change lives forever. Make sure they steer clear of using their cell phones while driving, not putting on makeup when behind the wheel, avoiding having a fixation on the radio, trying to eat or drink, and not paying attention to what is going on in front of and around them. Teach them how to practise defensive driving. That said, not everyone exercises the same caution when driving. If your kid were to get in an accident due to the fault of another, as a parent, you should have the necessary resources ready to aid them. Mainly, you would need to get them medical help if necessary, hire a law firm to get compensation from the other party and have your insurance information ready in case you need to use it.

2. Avoiding road rage

With many teens having a feeling of indestructability at times, it should not come as a surprise that some may engage in road rage. In reality, such a move could prove deadly. Remind your teen that it is never okay to go after another driver because they did something to upset them. If they have to safely pull off the road to calm down, fine. The worst thing they could do is put themselves and others at risk by going after someone.

3. Avoiding alcohol

Lastly, with proms and graduations not too far down the road, it is never too early to remind your teen/s about drinking and driving. With too many teens ending up with serious injuries, even some of which prove fatal, remind them that alcohol and driving never mix.

Keeping your child safe each and every time they are in a vehicle can certainly be draining at times as a parent, but it is the only choice you have.