Car journeys with children

Ways you can keep children entertained in the car

Here are some helpful tips that will make your car journeys safer with children, and a little less stressful.

• Prepare games and activities to keep children occupied in the car (e.g. I-spy, counting lorries, or even some singing along to the radio).
• If you’re on a longer journey, decide where you’re going to stop for a rest / toilet break in advance.
• Make sure children understand that once in the car, you need to concentrate fully on driving.

Seatbelts: the rules and regulations

Everyone in the car should wear a seatbelt. There are some laws that are in place to protect children in particular:

• It’s an offence to drive with a passenger under 14 years old who is not wearing a seatbelt or a child restraint (car seat) in the front or the back of the car
• A child can start to use an adult belt when they reach 135cm or on their 12th birthday
• All other children must use a car seat/booster designed for their current weight

Car or booster seats

Before you buy a car or booster seat:

• Measure your child’s height and weight
• Always look for the United Nations ECE R44.04 or R129 (i-Size) label
• Try it in your car before you buy it, because not every seat fits every car
• Good Egg Safety has more information on buying and fitting a car seat

Today’s kids are tomorrow’s drivers

Road safety is not just about keeping children safe now. The way they see you behave in the car is likely to shape the type of driver they will grow up to be. This is one of the reasons why it’s important to always:

• Drive within the speed limit – making sure your speed is appropriate for the road conditions
• Wear your seatbelt
• Keep your cool and set a good example
• Put your phone away