How to Minimize Distractions When Driving With Kids - Paper Pinecone Blog

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How to Minimize Distractions When Driving With Kids

Published Date: 01/13/20

Driving with kids in the backseat can undoubtedly present its fair share of challenges and can be both frustrating and dangerous. According to various studies conducted by AAA, drivers who have children in their vehicles spend more time attempting to control the situation rather than paying attention to their driving. Therefore, the following list includes ways to minimize distraction when driving with kids.

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Quiet Time
Let's be honest, telling kids to be quiet during the ride and them actually paying attention is a long shot. However, silence is often the best way to keep yourself focused on your driving. So, how can you get your children to be silent? There are a variety of ways, but here are some of the most effective. You can provide rewards for their silence. "If you guys are quiet for the next 15 minutes you can have one small snack when we get home", is a great way to provide an incentive for their silence. Another way is to simply provide them with a distraction, such as a movie on your tablet device or a story they can listen to.

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Take Breaks
Some tips are great for short drives such as going to and from the grocery store, but what about long car rides? This can be a little trickier as most children's stories and movies don't last more than an hour. After all these measures have been exhausted, you will no doubt see an increase in their energy. Therefore, it is important to take breaks during your long car drive. Children hold an enormous amount of energy and allowing them to release that every few miles can greatly help you focus on driving instead of the poking wars going on in the backseat.

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Turn Off Screens
Children screaming or constantly talking over each other can no doubt be a major distraction, adding your mobile device on top of that only adds to the risk. Thus, it is incredibly important to remove as many distractions from your drive as possible, starting with your device. There are options such as a do-not-disturb feature, which prevents texting while driving. If a call is urgent, your phone will either ring or glow to alert you of an important call and you can pull over to answer it.

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Get Help
Two or three children can be easily managed with the right tactics, but when that number begins to rise, you might need to seek the help of another adult. Having another adult in the vehicle with you can better allow you to concentrate on getting everyone safely to their destination.

As a parent, your number one responsibility is to keep yourself and your children safe from harm. By adhering to the list above, you can begin to reduce the number of dangers present when driving with kids. Go ahead, test these out, and modify them to your own unique situation.

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