Children growing into their teenage years are developing socially, emotionally, and cognitively. They are also often testing boundaries and seeking independence. While these are all healthy stages, however, in some cases it can make it harder to convince tweens to do things which are healthy—such as wearing seatbelts.
There’s no compromise when it comes to buckling up: wearing seatbelts can be one of the best ways to reduce the risk of serious injury if you and your child are ever in a car crash in Hollywood or your community. But how can you ensure your child buckles up each time? There are a few options:
- Be a great model. Be consistent in your seat belt use and make buckling up the first thing you do when you get in the car. Your children are more likely to follow your lead if they see you and other adults in their lives always use their seat belts.
- Talk to your tween about seat belt use. Review why it’s important and get your tweens to weigh in with their thoughts about safety belt use.
- Create some rules about seatbelt use. Keep the rules simple and clear. Something as basic as “the car doesn’t start moving until everyone is buckled up” shows you take seat belt safety seriously and shows that there will be consequences for not using seatbelts. It also takes the options out: to get a drive, tweens must wear their seat belt first.
- Ask questions if your children don’t want to use their seat belts. If your tweens don’t want to wear seatbelts, start a conversation. Maybe they have heard some misconceptions about seatbelt use or find seatbelts uncomfortable. Sometimes, just adjusting the seatbelts so they’re comfortable can work. Or, addressing their concerns allows you to fix the issues.
- Get them additional role models. Does your tween really look up to a specific celebrity? You can probably find pictures of that role model wearing seatbelts. Some celebrities even create PSAs talking about the importance of safety. If your tween won’t listen to you, they might be willing to follow the safety advice of their favorite actor, singer, or famous person.
- Let your child hear the facts in the form of a story. Tweens might be told “wearing a seatbelt is important” or might be told the facts about safety belt use, but this doesn’t always make a big impact. If a family friend or family member has been in a car crash, get them to talk to your tween about how seat belt use protected them. Always Wear Your Seatbelt also has online stories and you can find additional stories of seat belts saving lives online. These first-person accounts can drive home the message and make it more memorable for your tweens.
If you or your tween have been injured in a car accident in Hollywood or anywhere in Southern Florida, contact Flaxman Law Group for a free accident consultation to review your situation. A Hollywood car collision lawyer can review your situation with you and can help you understand whether you have a claim—all at no cost and with no obligation.