We’ve all heard the term “driven to distraction”, but what do you do when your kids are so distracting while you’re driving that you find yourself paying more attention to them, than to the road in front of you?
From simple annoyances (kids fighting, talking, poking a brother), to more major concerns such as choking on a piece of food, or another medical emergency, many accidents are thought to be the result of a distracted parent, suggests Sergeant Timothy Burrows of Toronto Police Traffic Services. “Children can be a huge distraction.
At very young ages and with new parents any sound, or lack of sound, can cause alarm for the drivers. The way infants are positioned does allow for quick peeks to assess concerns which can cause problems as drivers will look away from the road for extended periods of time to see the baby.”
A quick online survey shows that drivers do believe their children are the major cause of distraction for drivers (over cell phones, radios, other drivers, spouses, weather). In fact, of those drivers who found themselves distracted by kids while driving, more than 65 per cent of them have been in a near accident situation, or had to pull over to calm down and avoid an accident.
"Above all, make sure your kids know how important it is that you are able to focus on the driving first, and their needs second."
Julie Cole, a mom of six young kids, found herself in a dangerous situation recently while driving with her brood, causing her to institute a new rule while driving. “I actually get why people shouldn't text and stuff while driving, but I stand by my claim that kids must cause more accidents. I had a toddler start having a little choke on some food while I was driving. I was going mental. I pulled over in a way that I'm surprised we didn't get killed. Of course the child was fine by the time I was pulled over. I am now very careful about having very non choking foods in the car now. Real little ones don't get food at all if I'm driving alone.”
Sometimes, feeding children snacks can be a great way to pass the time on a long car ride, in order to try to avoid the kids getting bored. As any parent knows, unhappy children can lead to a fight, which can be just as distracting to a frustrated parent in the front seat — who is physically unable to turn around and face the children, let alone pull warring siblings apart.
Christine Sandford, a Mississauga, Ontario mom of two young boys, takes extra care to prepare for any road trips with her kids: “I keep a small bin between their seats with books and encourage them to read. On longer trips I am prepared with movies, electronics and even a few cheap new toys like Yes and No books, mazes etc (not small things that they can drop). We will play letter games like think of a word that starts with the previous words last letter. Asking them questions and having an engaging conversation works great - like "what are all the things you want to do at the cottage this summer?" or making top ten lists "what were the top ten things we did on vacation or whatever questions are age appropriate. It can be as simple as what do you think you are going to do today at school or camp to keep their minds occupied.”
Even with all of this on-board preparation and entertainment, Sandford still finds that she has to impose some rules on herself, as well as talk to her boys before they head out on the road. “I do not reach back or look back anymore unless I am at a red light — there were a couple close calls! I have a firm no goofing around rule in the car and will take privileges away if not followed, explain why safety in the car is very important and say repeatedly "I have to focus when I'm driving".
Focus is the key when driving, especially when other drivers, weather and unexpected situations can arise on top of the challenges of managing a car full of kids. There are things parents can do to prepare for travel with kids, including:
• Before pulling out of the driveway, remind the kids that you have to focus on driving so fighting, throwing things, or teasing a sister are activities that should be saved for a non-mobile environment. Reinforce a potential outcome if they can’t follow this basic rule.
• Be prepared if you’re heading out on a long road trip. Different aged kids require different entertainment/diversions. “For infants, toys on clips (so they don't get away from them) to entertain themselves, a well placed mirror that allows you to see them will help.” advises Burrows.
• Make sure there’s been appropriate washroom stops, and consider anti-nausea medication if you have a child prone to motion-sickness.• Monitor their food/drink supplies and keep an eye on younger kids if they need to have a snack.Know your route and try not to panic. Find a safe place to pull over if a child is distracting you through their behaviour or illness.• Consider taking less busy highways if you suspect the kids will be fractious or irritable. Build in stops to alleviate some of the frustration for both of you.
Above all, make sure your kids know how important it is that you are able to focus on the driving first, and their needs second. It only takes a minute to turn a distraction into a disaster. Because even with advance planning, sometimes the unexpected can happen. Angela Saclamacis of Calgary, Alberta recalls driving with her two young daughters down the QEW (one of Canada’s busiest highways, in Toronto), when they started to (in her words) “go crazy”. “There was a bee in the back seat. I managed to pull over, went back and looked everywhere. Couldn’t find the bee, but when we got home 10 minutes later, I found it tangled in my youngest’s hair. This could have been a disaster if we lived any further away.”
Burrows agrees. “No matter what the distraction is, the priority always must remain safe driving. A moment of inattention can cause serious injury to people outside the vehicle, or worse, those you are transporting.”
Bottom line? Monitor your kids, check in with them, and use your driving expertise to steer you and others away from potential harm.
As if you needed any more data, we did a feature citing a number of statistics, like that almost 80 per cent of crashes and 65 per cent of near-crashes recorded in the U.S. were caused by distractions during a three-second period before the crash, according to a study.
