Kids Are Always Watching
Safety & Awareness | May 4, 2022
SAFE KIDS SAFETY TIPS: Kids are always watching, even when you think they’re not. Being a good role model is one of the keys to raising a good passenger, who eventually becomes a teen driver, and then adult driver. Here are our tips to help your family stay safe.
By Kathi Hegranes, PARTY Program Coordinator, Injury Prevention & Outreach Coordinator, CPST-I, ThedaCare Regional Medical Center-Neenah
Plan ahead and create a routine that your passengers see each time:
- Buckle your seat belt
- Check your surroundings & mirrors
- If you’re using navigation – set it up in advance where you can hear and see it
Remember hands off the phone when driving
If you’re not using navigation – show your passengers how you avoid distraction by turning off the phone, putting it on vibrate or storing out of reach.
When in your vehicle – know there are three main types of distractions:
- Manual – Where you take your hands off the wheel
- Visual – Where you focus your eyes on something other than the road
- Cognitive – Where your mind wanders away from the task of driving
One example of a dangerous cognitive distraction is driving when predominantly stressed or emotional.
Challenge yourself to eliminate distractions each trip.
One last tip from Safe Kids:
Make it a rule that kids younger than 13 ride like a VIP – in the back.
This is the safest place for preteens and younger children to sit.” If each of us take action,
we have chance to teach our loved ones and save lives one trip at a time
