Holiday tips: Kids and car safety

To keep you and your children safe on the roads you need both driver assistance technology and common sense

Holiday road trips can be full of fun and excitement, but they can also trigger stress and poor road manners. Impatient, tired drivers flock to our roads at sparrow’s fart to beat the traffic (tip: you won’t), putting unrealistic pressure on everyone.

Driving during peak holiday season demands patience and common sense for the safety of everyone involved. It’s not only a time to get acquainted with the clever driver assist and safety technology in your vehicle, but it’s also a great reminder to define the rules around kids and car safety.

Three children are run over in driveways every week in Australia – mostly at their own home. That’s the distressing lead statistic from the Kidsafe Queensland Driveway Safety Project & SGIO Reversing Visibility report into driveway safety and a reminder that it’s not only a long-haul road trip that can end in disaster.

We know that safety is top of mind for many new car buyers but it takes more than ticking a set of safety options to be safe.

It’s important that you understand how your car’s safety systems work and the measures you should take when technology does not have your back.

With holiday season upon us here’s a snapshot into consumer understanding about safety technology as well as some quick tips for keeping your kids safer around cars.

If you’ve never felt the shudder underfoot when your vehicle’s antilock brakes kick in or experienced your lane keep assist system tug at your steering wheel to keep you in the lane, it can be a little unnerving – and distracting.

Take the time to fully understand the safety technology your vehicle has and what it feels like when it’s at work.

Mostly, put the phone away. Bluetooth or Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity means you now have zero excuse to be browsing the screen – even at the lights.

People with older vehicles and less sophisticated connectivity should simply put their phone out of reach and remove the temptation.

All vehicles have blind spots (some designs more than others) – even those with sophisticated camera technology. Never rely on technology alone and always use the old-school head check.

Kidsafe Victoria suggests you create some simple rules around driveway safety, including separating play areas from driveways and creating a safe spot for kids to farewell cars. Drivers shouldn’t move unless children can be seen in this safe spot.

Do not leave children alone in cars. Kidsafe Victoria says the temperature inside a car can be as much as 30 degrees higher than the outside temperature. And 75 per cent of this rise in temperature can occur in the first five minutes of closing the car.

Quickly ducking into the shops is potentially every bit as fatal as 33 hands at the poker table. In most parts of the country, it’s also against the law. ‘Don’t leave kids (or pets) in cars’ sounds simple enough, but it still happens.

It’s all good and well to be a sensible driver, but if your car is not well maintained you are a potential hazard to everyone on the road.

When was the last time you checked your tyre pressures? Is your spare tyre in good condition? Are your jack and tyre-changing tools accounted for?

Do you or someone in your vehicle know how to change a tyre or god forbid use a tyre inflator kit? Window washer fluids full? Is your roadside assistance membership up to date? When was the last time your car was serviced?

It’s also worth noting the service stations on your planned route in the event that you need to limp towards the nearest one for help.

Are you a serial over-packer? Just because your SUV will take up to 700 litres of luggage, doesn’t mean it should. Loose items in the cargo area can be dangerous to you and your passengers in the event of an emergency stop or a collision.

In addition to reading our top tips for safe packing, make sure you’re not overloading your vehicle.

Do you know what your car’s gross vehicle mass is? Perhaps you should not be loading that fridge into your hatchback. An overloaded vehicle will not perform as intended in an emergency situation.

If we can’t talk you out of a 4:00am departure time, at least ensure that you are well rested before you get behind the wheel for a long journey.

A good night’s sleep and a balanced morning meal are essential for fuelling your body to stay alert, focused and fresh behind the wheel.

Sleep deprivation dulls the senses and diminishes reaction times in an emergency situation. Don’t become a statistic. Prep your body just like you would (should) your car.

Kids and cars safety checklist: