We make better drivers and riders

Driving with children - let them be little

Blog post posted on 07/09/16 |
6 x
Advice

Driving with young children can sometimes be stressful when trying to keep an eye on both them and the road. This week is back-to-school for many and a new wave of under-fives will be going to nursery. Here are some safety tips for driving with young children from IAM RoadSmart’s head of driving and riding standards, Richard Gladman.

  • Child car seats are a must. A child must use a car seat until they are 12 years old or 135cm tall, whichever comes first. There are different legal conditions around the type of child seats you can use based on the age and height of your child. If you’re unsure, seek professional advice from a child seat provider. You can find out more via http://www.goodeggcarsafety.com/

  • Make sure your child is as comfortable as possible and take off any thick coats as they can interfere with the correct operation of the child seat in a collision. Consider getting an extra child rear view mirror if you like to keep an eye on what’s happening on the back seat. Make sure it doesn’t obscure your forward view

  • Pack for success. Bring your child’s favourite toys, games or books to keep them entertained whilst riding in the car. Playing games such as ‘I spy’, allows the child’s focus to be on the surroundings, making it easier for you to get to your destination. Be careful to not get distracted yourself

  • Pack lots of small and healthy snacks. In case of a delay you want to be prepared.Keeping a cooler bag with you packed with nibbles like carrot sticks, grapes, raisins, juice boxes is a great distraction

  • Plan your journey. Try to arrange stops with the children in mind and let them burn off some energy.

Richard said: “If travelling a long distance try to arrange your travel to coincide with nap time or bed time – this may make for a more relaxing drive for you and the children. For short journeys encourage simple games. It not only distracts but can be educational too.”

“Sometimes the entertainment is just listening to the conversations your children have when they think you are not listening. There are lots of blogs and tips on websites such as Mumsnet and Gransnet on achieving in-car happiness. And remember that if you do have to stop, make sure it’s in a safe place for you, your passengers and other road users.”

ENDS

Notes to editors:

  1. Richard Gladman is IAM RoadSmart’s head of driving and riding standards.
  2. IAM RoadSmart has a mission to make better drivers and riders in order to improve road safety, inspire confidence and make driving and riding enjoyable. It does this through a range of courses for all road users, from online assessments through to the advanced driving and riding tests. IAM RoadSmart is the trading name of all businesses operated by the UK’s largest road safety charity, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) and was formed in April 2016 combining the IAM, IAM Drive & Survive, PDS and IAM Driver Retraining Academy. The organisation has 92,000 members and campaigns on road safety on their behalf. At any one time there are over 7,000 drivers and riders actively engaged with IAM RoadSmart’s courses, from members of the public to company drivers, while our Driver Retraining Academy has helped 2,500 drivers to shorten their bans through education and support programmes.

To find out more about IAM RoadSmart products and services visit the new website www.iamroadsmart.com

To find out the name of your own local IAM RoadSmart group please visit: https://www.iamroadsmart.com/local-groups

Media contacts:

Further information from:

IAM RoadSmart press office – 020 8996 9777 

press.office@iam.org.uk / www.iamroadsmart.com

ISDN broadcast lines available

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On Twitter: @IAMRoadSmart 

ENDS ALL