CHILD SAFETY

Securing your child in a correctly installed child safety seat is one of the most important things you can do to protect your child’s life every day. It is critically important to keep our children safe in vehicles as they travel our roadways. That means putting them in the proper restraint for their age, size and weight. Most parents do not actually know what it means to protect a child on wheel; some do but sometimes neglect its importance.

The number of infants I have come across in potentially dangerous positions in moving cars on our roads is quite alarming. Even worse is the fact that the adieu

lts/ caregivers who should know better are totally unmindful to the danger they have placed their loved ones. It is quite unfortunate that our country has no strict rules for child car safety and we are hopeful that someday the relevant authorities would do more in creating regulations, sensitizing the public on prior road use/safety and generally making our roads less accident-prone.

Here are some tips to address some of the potential dangers I have spotted in moving vehicles on Nigerian roads:

• Do not allow your kid to sit with you on the driver’s seat; if you must do so, ensure that the vehicle is not in motion and is off the road. Driving with a child sitting on your laps or sharing the driver’s seat with you can be very dangerous: imagine stopping your car with full force just because you were trying to dodge a pothole, or a car hits you from behind because you are not concentrating.  

• Resist the temptation to allow your kids stand up at the back seat of the car; we all did that, wanting to have a view of the road, be your gist companion while you drive. Strap them into their car seats and keep them entertained.  Entertain them with playing some music, which all of you can sing along or probably make them read a book aloud while you listen. Alternatively, you can keep them busy with games.

• Car seats: it is advised that you do not place car seats in the front passenger seat. If you must, airbags need to be de-activated. In addition, weight and height of your infants/kids should be considered when taking a decision on the appropriate car seat to use. Children under the age of 12 should ride properly buckled in the back seat and should not be allowed to sit on the passengers’ seat.

•        Ensure children’s hands, feet, face are clear of doors before shutting them. I have observed this incident on a couple of occasions even from the time I was a kid myself. Do not leave your sleeping child alone in the car; the result can be injury or even death.

•        Always be conscious when backing out of a driveway or packing space especially in residential areas. Statistically, it has been reported that children are being backed over by vehicles every week, and at least two are fatally injured.

Stories about kids and cars have a tendency to end badly. Let us keep our children safe this year and beyond.