ATTENTION ALL PARENTS
YOUR CHILD’S SAFETY
Watching parents arrive to drop off their children, we have once or twice had to caution a few about letting their children seat in the front passenger seat of the car. We have also observed some cuddling their children or letting them sit right between the parent and the steering wheel while driving. There is nothing chic, glamorous or classy about this type of indulgent behaviour of any parent. It is dangerous and inexcusable. Some parents claim the child will not agree to seat in the back and they do not want to make him or her cry. Please note that your children are not and cannot be wiser than you. They may ultimately acquire more knowledge than you, but wisdom is a different matter. God put them in your care – the greater to take care of the lesser – because you are wiser than they are. Your child cannot and should not dictate to you what he or she wants or does not want to do where it concerns issues of safety, homework, learning practice, clothing, getting up and ready for school, management of learning materials, and a number of other things. It is serious shirking of responsibility to defer to your children on matters about which you should know better. Children will always want to have their way. Do not see their misplaced insistence as intelligence, confidence or boldness, virtues you want to nurture. They are not old enough to deliberately wish to project those qualities. They are simply being children.
Back to the issue of safety. Please desist from placing children in the front seats of the car. For the avoidance of doubt, the following will guide you.
KNOW THE STAGES Child. Source: Passenger Safety (2015,September 28) www.cdc.gov
Make sure children are properly buckled up in a car seat, booster seat, or seat belt, whichever is appropriate for their age, height, and weight.
• Birth up to age 2 – Rear-facing car seat. For the best possible protection, infants and children should be buckled in a rear-facing car seat, in the back seat, until age 2 or when they reach the upper weight or height limits of their particular seat. Check the seat’s owner’s manual and/or labels on the seat for weight and height limits.
• Age 2 up to at least age 5 – Forward-facing car seat. When children outgrow their rear-facing seats they should be buckled in a forward-facing car seat, in the back seat, until at least age 5 or when they reach the upper weight or height limit of their particular seat. Check the seat’s owner’s manual and/or labels on the seat for weight and height limits.
• Age 5 up until seat belts fit properly – Booster seat. Once children outgrow their forward-facing seat (by reaching the upper height or weight limit of their seat), they should be buckled in a belt positioning booster seat until seat belts fit properly. Seat belts fit properly when the lap belt lays across the upper thighs (not the stomach) and the shoulder belt lays across the chest (not the neck). Remember to keep children properly buckled in the back seat for the best possible protection.
• Once seat belts fit properly without a booster seat – Children no longer need to use a booster seat once seat belts fit them properly. Seat belts fit properly when the lap belt lays across the upper thighs (not the stomach) and the shoulder belt lays across the chest (not the neck). The recommended height for proper seat belt fit is 57 inches tall. For the best possible protection keep children properly buckled in the back seat.
• Install and use car seats and booster seats according to the seat’s owner’s manual or get help installing them from a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician.
o Buckle all children ages 12 and under in the back seat. Airbags can kill young children riding in the front seat. Never place a rear-facing car seat in front of an airbag.
o Buckle children in the middle of the back seat when possible, because it is the safest spot in the vehicle.
o Buckle children in car seats, booster seats, or seat belts on every trip, no matter how short.
o Set a good example by always using your seat belt.
Remember, Rubygates Preparatory School cares about your children, and you.