PARENTS: Child safety must be your priority as a parent

Some people think all they have to do when driving with their children in the car is throw them at the back and hope for the best. Rwandan law states that every passenger must wear a seatbelt, something that goes for kids as well. In fact, before strapping yourself in you should make sure the child is firmly buckled in first.On the causes of death and injury to your child is parked in your driveway. Imagine, if you were forced to make a sudden stop while your child was sitting in the back without a seatbelt. The result would be heart wrenching.Child safety seats play a major role in preventing death and injury for young children. According to cheapcarinsurance.net, using child safety restraints can reduce fatal injury by seventy percent for infants and fifty percent for toddlers of the age one to four. “On many occasions I have seen children in the back seat of cars, usually standing to look at the vehicles following them and it is worrying that the drivers never seem bothered. There was one who was so busy on the phone that she didn’t notice her son had his entire head hanging out the window,” says Diana Mbabazi, a Kacyiru housewife. There is a reason car seats are made for children; it isn’t just about making money. Well, yes they cost money but it’s a small price to pay for the safety of your child. In some countries, these seats are mandated by the law and those who try to break the law face fines or worse, charged with endangering the welfare of a child.“My husband usually does the driving. But I make it a point to sit with the kids in the back incase of anything. It is better to be safe than sorry,” Diana adds.Another thing some people overlook is leaving children in cars while they attend to their errands. There are more reasons than I can name as to why you should never ever leave your child in the car alone. In the blazing sun, the interior of a car can get extremely hot and result in a child’s body temperature rising to dangerous levels. If you have to run some errands and the child sits in the car for too long, they could suffer from heat exhaustion or heat stroke. In some cases, the result could be fatal. If the child has no restraint, then it is likely that they will jump to the driver’s seat and play with the steering wheel, gas pedal or gear box.It is simply common sense to never leave a child alone in the car no matter how fast you think you will be at the supermarket. It won’t matter if you left them there for a second. When it comes to kids, if you have to strap them to your hip just to use the bathroom then so be it.