How to keep your child safe during long car journeys
Whether you’re driving to visit family, off on a camping trip, or returning to your favourite holiday spot, when you’re looking after little ones, it’s important you know of everything you can do to keep them safe.
The world of car safety for kids can be confusing. That’s why the National Highways TRIP campaign is here to support drivers (and their little passengers) with staying safe and prepared on long journeys.
For families, TRIP includes keeping kids safe and comfortable throughout the whole adventure. Here, we’ve rounded up our top safety measures to ensure your kids stay safe on every journey.
National Highways’ TRIP Campaign
The TRIP campaign focuses on the important steps you need to take before and during long journeys.
TRIP stands for:
- T = Top-up essential oils and fluids.
- R = Rest every 2 hours.
- I = Inspect the condition of your tyres before you set off.
- P = Prepare for unexpected weather changes.
R is for Rest: Why kids need breaks more than drivers
One of the central aspects of the campaign is ensuring that the driver takes a break to grab a refreshment, stretch their legs, and rest their eyes, before heading back on the roads.
However, children get restless quicker than adults, and when tired or frustrated, they can increase driver distraction.
Safety guidance commonly recommends that:
- Babies and young children should not be left in their car seat for more than 2 hours at a time, even if they’re sleeping.
- Drivers should take breaks every 2 hours.
Car seats often position babies at an incline, which is not recommended for safe sleep, and can impact their ability to breathe easily (if they’re left in one for too long).
The Joie Ramble XL Carrycot is great for letting your baby snooze while you all take a break from the journey. You can place it besides you or in your Joie pushchair, and let your baby lie flat for much safer sleep while you relax outside of your car.
If you have a slightly older child, let them blow off some steam by encouraging them to run around or play in a safe area, away from the cars. Taking breaks can also be safety opportunities as they give you the chance to check on:
- Seatbelts and car seats.
- Hydration and snacks.
- Their emotional wellbeing and signs of travel sickness or discomfort.
There are plenty more ways to keep your child safe during road trips and long journeys, including using the right car seats, bringing along accessories and entertainment, and more as explained below.
1. Using seat belts and car seats
In the UK, the law requires that all children travelling in cars use the correct child restraints until they reach 12 years old or 135cm in height, whichever comes first.*
When shopping for approved height-based seats, note that:
- They must be rear-facing until your child is over the age of 15 months.
- They must have a capital E inside a circle and ‘R129’ (i-Size).
If you’re looking for a weight-based car seat, they must have:
- A capital ‘E’ in a circle.
- ‘ECE R44’.
There are a few types of seat based on weight-based car seats, from Group 0 – 3, depending on your child’s weight in kgs.
These rules are designed to keep all road users and passengers safe, so always make sure you follow them. Plus, if you’re caught using an unsuitable or incorrectly fitted car seat, you could face a £500 fine!
2. Pick the right car seat
Ensuring your child is travelling in the correct car seat is crucial for their safety in the event of a collision. With so much information out there, choosing the right seat can feel overwhelming.
At Halfords, we’re here to cut through the confusion with our free 30-minute Child Seat Consultation, available to book at your local Halfords store. During the consultation, one of our experts will guide you through the best car seat options for your child and even demonstrate how to fit it in your car.
3. Never leave your child alone
It might be tempting to run back into the shop because you forgot the milk during the weekly food shop, avoiding the hassle of getting your child out of the car, but it’s important to remember that wherever you go, your little one should go too.
Even if you think your child is strapped in safely, they could wriggle out, escape, and begin pressing buttons in the car. While most features are disabled when the car is switched off, unsupervised children still run the risk of:
- Unlocking the car from the inside.
- Setting off the alarm.
- Disabling the handbrake.
4. Switch on child safety locks
Child safety locks help prevent your child from opening the door while the car is moving or stationary. Most modern cars have safety locks, usually located on the inside of the car door and easy to operate by flicking a switch.
If you’re struggling to find your child safety lock, check your car’s manual.
By keeping your child locks on, you’ll always be in control of when the doors open and close giving you extra peace of mind.
5. Remove coats and blankets
We know you don’t want your child to be cold in winter, but it’s important not to strap them into their car seat while they’re wearing bulky coats or thick layers. Remove any coats or fleeces that may increase the distance between your child’s body and the harness strap.
Essentially, you want the harness straps to be as close to your child’s body as possible to keep them safe. To keep them warm in the car, pop the heaters on instead.
6. Lock your rear windows
On long journeys, children can get bored and start looking for things to distract themselves, like pressing buttons or playing with the windows. Your child should always stay safely inside the car, with their arms and head well away from open windows. To keep little fingers safe, make sure to activate the window locks.
If the weather is warm, you can keep them comfortable and:
- Roll down the front windows.
- Open the sunroof, if you have one.
- Turn on the air conditioning.
If you haven’t used your air conditioning recently, why not book a free Air Con Check at your local Halfords garage?
7. Use a baby-on-board sign
In the event of a collision emergency services will quickly be able to identify if you’ve got a child in the car with a handy baby-on-board sign.
If emergency services are able to identify a child quickly, then they are much more likely to receive the emergency help that they might need.
8. Don’t offer toddlers food if you’re driving
If you’ve got little children, it might be tempting to keep them quiet with a snack. While food is an excellent idea on long journeys, if you’re driving down bumpy or windy roads, food quickly becomes a choking hazard.
Instead, plan some pit stops to ensure everyone can safely enjoy a bite to eat! Investing in a Halfords Backseat Baby Mirror is also a great way to keep an eye on your baby while you’re driving.
9. Keep your car in tip-top condition
Another way to keep little passengers safe is to make sure your car is in the best condition possible.
- Regularly check your tyres for tread depth and pressure.
- Keep your washer fluid topped up.
- Check your bulbs.
Here at Halfords, you can book a 30 Point Car Safety Inspection, where one of our experts will check your exhaust, brakes, steering, and more to identify any potential safety issues.
Don’t forget, a little preparation goes a long way in making every trip a safe one for you and your family, so be sure to keep these top tips in mind before you head out on your next trip!
*In the ROI all children under 150cm in height or 36kg in weight must use a child car seat.
Introducing the Halfords Motoring Club
Don’t miss out! Join the Halfords Motoring Club today to access a range of amazing benefits and discounts that are designed to keep you moving, keep you safe and keep you saving.
It’s free to join and you’ll receive money off your MOT, a free 10-point car health check and a welcome voucher that can be spent on any Halfords product or service.
Or choose our Premium membership for a monthly fee of £5.49 (£65.88) or £54 annually to unlock exclusive member pricing on all motoring products and services online and across our stores, garages and Halfords Mobile Experts, as well as a variety of other benefits that will help you to keep moving for less.
With so much to enjoy, this is too good an opportunity to miss!