As every parent knows, traveling with children is challenging at best and tear your hair out difficult at others. It does not seem to matter if they are toddlers or teenagers, each age group causes its own set of parental anxieties.
The most important aspects are to keep them safe and relatively happy with as few “Are we there yets?” as possible. When planning a trip it is important to involve them as much as feasible in the planning:
- Share maps
- Daily schedules
- Places you will be staying
- Kinds of places you will be stopping for sight-seeing
- Where they would like to eat
- Getting their input on what games or videos should be included for the trip.
Keeping them safe is critical! According to AAA, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death and injury for children. Make sure you get a good night’s sleep prior to traveling. This will keep you from falling asleep behind the wheel as 17% of drivers involved in fatal crashes admit to doing. Ways of keeping your family safe are:
- Drive during the day
- Do not follow other vehicles too closely
- Drive at the appropriate speed for the conditions
- Make sure your children have seat belts and car seats set correctly
- Do not be distracted by what is going on in the back seat(s)
Children do get lost at times when traveling. Ford is taking another factor of child safety very seriously and will provide you with a child safety kit that includes inkless fingerprinting kits. “Safety is the No. 1 priority at Ford and it is also our responsibility to look out for the safety of our employees’ families, as well as our neighbors,” said Marty Mulloy, Ford vice president for labor affairs. “The ultimate goal of the National Child Identification Program is to provide an ID kit for every child in the United States, and we’re proud to partner with the UAW to help them achieve that goal.”
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