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Being in a car crash is frightening for adults — for children, it can be downright traumatic. However, accidents do happen, and as a parent, a good thing you can do is prepare your kids in case of a car crash.
When you tell your children that car crashes do happen and how they should respond, it helps remove the fear and sense of the unknown. This can help kids be more resilient, if they are in an accident. It will help them recover more quickly and avoid ongoing anxiety about driving or riding in a car.
Require Safety in the Car
As a parent, you have a lot of control over how your child views in-car safety. You have two ways to impact your kids: through rules and by your own example.
Of course your first rule is to properly buckle your child. This can vary by the child’s age and stage of car seat. You want to follow car seat best practice as best you can. (State car seat laws are usually the minimum standard.)
Download our cheat sheet to learn the 4+ stages of car seats and which one your child is in.
Beyond properly restraining your child in a car seat, your rule for your child is to remain properly buckled. If your child refuses to buckle, or unbuckles during the drive, you pull over and refuse to go any where until they are properly restrained.
Creating rules such as “don’t play any loud music or videos while you’re in the car” teaches kids the importance of being respectful passengers. Then the driver won’t be distracted while you’re behind the wheel. Eventually, when they’re driving, they’ll know the importance of staying vigilant on the road and avoiding distractions, especially as technology advances — sometimes to the detriment of driver safety.
It’s also important to pull over to the side of the road if kids are behaving unsafely. For instance children arguing with each other can be distracting for the driver. Pulling over and refusing to go further until they calm down can help avoid an accident or injury. It’s also a clear statement that you prioritize safety.
However, what you say only goes so far if you don’t set an example with your own safe behavior. If you don’t wear a seatbelt or choose to drive distracted by devices or other activities, your children will follow your lead. Your kids can also take examples from others who drive them places. It is good to make sure grandparents and other relatives use car seats appropriately and follow other safety rules.
Teach Your Kids Emergency Procedures
Preparing your kids in case of a car crash and what to do, can not only remove anxiety, it can be lifesaving. If the family is in an accident where you are injured, having your kids call for emergency services, if they are old enough and have access to a phone, can help you get care much more quickly.
If your kids are young, you can focus on how they can stay safe and call 911 after an accident. As appropriate, talk to them about how to stay as calm as possible and let you know if they’re hurt. Talk to them about how police, firefighters, and ambulance workers may come to the scene. And it’s OK to talk to them and be honest about what happened. It may be helpful to introduce younger kids to police officers and other emergency personnel in advance, so they’ll be less afraid if there’s a car crash.
Teenagers can get more information about how to manage a car accident especially for when they driving on their own. They should know how to trade insurance and contact information with the other driver, the importance of getting a police report before leaving the scene, and perhaps even how to contact the insurance company.
Whether you’re going on a family road trip or driving to the store, ensuring that your family knows what to do in an emergency brings significant peace of mind.
Dealing With Anxiety After an Accident
If there is a car accident, your kids might have a lot of anxiety afterward, even if you prepared them. This doesn’t mean you did anything wrong — many people struggle with travel anxiety after an accident!
They may have trouble sleeping, struggle to relax, or panic when you mention driving somewhere. Travel anxiety can be triggered even if your child hasn’t been in an accident. Hearing about a major car wreck on the news or from friends can also cause significant fear.
If your child is struggling with anxiety, you can teach them how to ground themselves using mindfulness techniques and reframing frightening thoughts. It may also be helpful to get your child professional help in therapy.
Over time, your child’s fears should lessen, especially as they experience safe car trips. As they learn to overcome their anxiety, they’ll discover coping mechanisms that will help them address a variety of other fears throughout their lives.
It Pays to Prepare Your Kids
We all hope we never have an accident with our kids in the car. But you never know what will happen on the road. The best thing you can do is prepare your kids in case of an car crash so they’ll be as safe as possible while knowing what to expect and what to do.
Talking about what to do before an accident can reduce fear, and your child’s cooperation with first responders can be lifesaving. Don’t feel like you have to avoid the topic — instead, have age-appropriate conversations today.
Guest post: Ainsley Lawrence is a freelance writer who lives in the Northwest region of the United States. She has a particular interest in covering topics related to good health, balanced life, and better living through technology. When not writing, her free time is spent reading and researching to learn more about her cultural and environmental surroundings.
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