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Car safety, from a weekend experience...

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  • 19-05-2010 10:08pm
    #1
    Deliverance
    Registered Users Posts: 1,674 ✭✭✭


    Driving my daughter and her cousin (both 4yrs old) on a day out in the country. Forgot to put the child lock on the car door:mad: On the journey home we rounded a roundabout and the passenger rear door flew open, my child automatically leaned out to catch it.

    Managed to pull the car in safely and my passenger caught the door in the meantime and pulled it shut.

    I contained my panic and anger and questioned my upset daughter about what happened. She eventually told me about how she innocently was telling her cousin how her little duck toy could 'fit into places', in this case in between the door handle. This popped the lock and left the door slightly open, when the car turned the door opened.

    This experience taught me something:

    1: Always put the child locks on and make a habit of it no matter how inconvenient it might be at times.

    2: Always strap your child in securely. (I always do this and won't move the car unless done properly).

    3: Teach the child not to go near the door handle (they will probably do it anyway to see what happens).

    4: Teach the child to never lean out of a door that opens when the car is moving, rather teach them to lean away and tell the driver immediately about the open door. (I think this should be drilled into them).

    5: Tell the child that they cannot pop the seatbelt open until they are given permission to do so. (amazing how they learn to do this so quickly).

    Worst case scenario in my case could have been: Child pops safety belt, Car lock left off, Door opens, Child leaned out of car with belt off and door open. You know the rest.

    It just made me think about how easily an accident in this case could have happened despite being a very safety concious parent.


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    #2
    TargetWidow
    Registered Users Posts: 559 ✭✭✭TargetWidow


    Janey deliverance! You poor thing you must've gotten an awful fright. Thank goodness she was properly strapped in. Thanks for posting this, theres plenty of food for thought here.


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    #3
    Acoshla
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,729 ✭✭✭Acoshla


    Not a parent myself but my God that must have been terrifying for you. Something similar happened to a friend of mine when she was a child, family car wasn't in great nick and the door just flew open at a roundabout.

    My own car is handy in that the doors automatically lock when I pull off and the childlock's default mode is on, means my friends can't get out without me unlocking it first from the front but would be very handy with kids.


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