Tips For Keeping Your Family Safe On The Road

We love our vehicles, but they can’t compare to the love we have for our families. As responsible car owners and parents, it’s up to us to ensure that our family are kept completely safe when they’re in the car with us. While accidents involving children have been steadily decreasing over the past decade and a half, there are still far too many occurring. Take our advice below and you’ll be doing your bit to stay safe on the road.

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Buy the Right Car

Just as not all cars are capable of reaching the same top speed, not all cars are equally safe. It’s up to you to buy a vehicle that prioritises safety over any other feature, one that is reliable and fit for transporting your family around town and beyond. Subaru is particularly safe, while Kia scores highly both in terms of safety and reliable – a winning combination when it comes to road safety. If you want a fast or flashy car, we’re afraid you’ll have to make it your second vehicle.

Performing Regular Checks

Even the most reliable of cars will face issues from time to time. It’s up to you to be on top of these issues and take care of them before they become problematic. A particularly recommended time to review your car’s performance and give it a check up is before and after winter; accidents are more likely to happen during the chilly months and the cold weather can cause damage to our cars if they go untreated.

Promoting Good Practices

The overall safety of your car won’t mean a thing if you don’t also promote sound safety practices when you’re driving. For example, if you have young children then you’ll need to ensure that they have child seats that fit the car’s seats correctly; around 60% of child car seats on the road are believed to be incorrectly fitted. Also, it goes without saying that you should always be buckling up, no matter how short the journey is or how quiet the roads may be.

Check Your Driving

When we begin to get confident in the driving seat we tend to let bad habits creep into our driving. When you have a family, it’s up to you to revisit your driving habits and make sure that you’re not inadvertently doing anything that might one day put your family in harm’s way. If necessary, have a driving refresher course – staying safe on the roads benefits everybody, and if you’ve forgotten the right way to do things then it might be worth it!

Be Prepared for the Worst

Ultimately, even with all your best efforts you might still find yourself getting into an accident or breaking down. You just can’t absolutely guarantee it won’t happen. You can, however, be prepared should these things happen. Having an emergency supplies kit in your vehicle, one that includes water, blankets, and basic medical supplies could make all the difference when you’re forced into an uncomfortable situation. Prepare properly and you’ll be limiting your chance of long term consequences!