Long before your children are old enough to drive in Hollywood, they will be in cars, being ferried to and from school and activities. They are still at risk of car accidents. Even more importantly, children are watching everything—including the driving habits of the adults who drive them around. They are forming their ideas of what driving should look like.
For these reasons, it’s imperative that you talk to your children about road safety, even if their sixteenth birthday is still a long way off. Some of the topics you should cover include:
1) Drinking and driving: Long before your child ever can legally drink or can even apply for their license, they may find themselves in a situation where an adult who has been drinking tries to drive them home. Make sure you talk to your younger children about the dangers of drinking and driving and come up with a plan about how they can reach you or someone else in the family for a safe ride home.
2) Fatigued driving: Tired driving in Hollywood and South Florida does not get as much press as DUIs, but it is just as deadly. Make sure your children understand the dangers of fatigue and be a good model by avoiding driving when you’re exhausted.
3) Rules of the road: From an early age, you can teach your children the rules of the road. Create age-appropriate games to teach your children. For example, on the road you can have kids point out road signs and guess what they mean. Or, you can ask them to look for specific road signs and have them tally how many they see.
4) What do when in danger: What would your children do if a friend wanted to play on the road or if they found themselves trapped in a car? What would your child do if they were in a collision and the driver lost consciousness? Of course you don’t want to scare your kids, but talk with them about ways they can stay safe in cars.
5) Pedestrian safety: Long before your kids can drive a car or sign up for driver’s ed, they will be pedestrians and will learn to ride a bike. Talk about sharing the road with cars and about how to stay visible. Discuss the importance of following the rules of the road and make sure your children understand when cars may be turning at intersections. Consider walking or biking together and then discuss the dangers you have faced and how you navigated them safely. Walking and cycling together also lets you spot any of your children’s bad habits so you can tackle them early.
6) Car safety: Teach children a healthy respect for cars. Make sure your children know never to play around or in cars. While they should not be afraid of vehicles, they also need to be aware drivers may not always see them when they are near a vehicle and are in the driver’s blind spot.
Contact Flaxman Law Group at 1-866-352-9626 (1-866-FLAXMAN) for a free accident consultation with a Hollywood car accident attorney if you or your child have been injured anywhere in South Florida and you would like a case evaluation.