Children escaping from safety seats
There are many of us out there with ‘Houdini’ children that can climb or escape from anything your adult brain can think of. The problem with that is safety of your most precious cargo. Strapping your child into a secure safety seat is still the most highly regarded method of securing your children against the unforseen. Today’s regulations also state that you must have children up to the age of 7 in at least a safety ‘booster’ seat if they are over 15kgs in weight.
But what if you have the clever child that just knows how to get out? Even worse; the ones that pops through the front seats to say – ‘Hi mum’. Studies have shown that children today are far smarter than we ever were. The abundance of information available to them through technology gives them ideas that you and I never would have imagined.
The best way to handle this dilemma is to engage it at the earliest of ages. The earlier you can swing a win for the driver the better it is. Not forgetting the licence points you lose and the fines that come with it!
In these circumstances you need to pull over as quickly and safely as possible and wait quietly (hold onto that mixed scream of loving concern and blind anger). Most children will buckle under the silence and wonder what is going on. The only answer is to say (firmly) the car DOES NOT MOVE UNTIL EVERYONE IS SECURLY AND SAFELY BUCKLED IN. If need be, help them back into their seat and lock them in again…if they can’t do it themselves.
This may take several efforts, but in the long run we all know that most of our driving (with children) is about them. Acknowledge that the delay will only impinge on THEIR FUN and not yours and that ‘SAFETY FIRST’ is the only important factor in this trip.
Some people may have to go as far as cancelling the outing, but which would you rather?
Children will learn to respect not only road rules – but you, very quickly.
There is no meeting or school event that is worth more than the lives of our children. Keep that in mind the next time you blow your stack while driving at 70kms per hour and turning your back to the windscreen to make sure they can see how angry you are!!! That truly does not work. Nor is it at all safe.
The best advice for installing the seats is to follow the manufacturer’s fitting instructions, always use Australian Design Rules anchor points or ISOFIX points, or if you are still unsure go to an authorised fitting station which you can find here: http://www.rta.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/index.cgi?action=authrestraintfitting.form .
Stay cool and check your precious cargo regularly through the rear view mirror. It wont be long until they are driving you!
Level 2, 9 Help Street
Peter says:
I found a way of stopping my houdini boys. sew a piece of velcro onto the over shoulder strap of the child seat that will go across the middle of the chest. Fit a long piece of the velcro to go around the other strap and fasten behind the first piece of velcro. This is near childproof!
May 26th, 2011 at 1:24 pm