PARENTS MUST LEAD BY EXAMPLE WHEN DRIVING ON THE ROAD

Statistics have always shown that those under the age of 25 are most at risk of having a car accident and as parents letting your children out in a powerful machine unsupervised can cause distress.

So what can parents do to reduce the risk of their child being involved in a car accident:

Firstly lead by example, always wear a seat belt and never drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol. Young adults are very sensitive to hypocrisy, if they see you doing something or not doing something they may copy your behaviour.

Set out the rules very early on, this may not work for the slightly older child however, imposing a curfew and not allowing your child to carry multiple passengers may save their life. Research in North America has shown that multiple passengers and driving between 12 am and 3am are prime factors involved in car accidents.

Ensure the car is roadworthy. Although the car may belong to your child, it is important that as a parent you check the car, especially the brakes and the brake fluid. Ensuring your child can stop effectively should they have too, could save their life.

Most importantly sitting down and talking about these risks and encouraging safe driving is going to be the most effective tool in reducing the risk of them having an accident.

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