Tag: road safety

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Summer Travel Safety: Tips for Travelling with a Toddler

Traveling with a Toddler

Spending more time with your family is one reason to take a long vacation together, but having little ones in tow can be challenging, to say the least. Even if you’ve taken your toddler on trips before, he or she can still have a hard time with the changes to his or her daily routine. As such, you want to keep these considerations in mind.

  • Plan for extra accommodations. When going over your itinerary, make sure to think about things like diaper changes (or potty breaks), children-friendly restaurants, and other amenities that can make your trip that much easier.
  • Prepare to deal with sickness. Your toddler will be exposed to all kinds of things along the way, which means that some of those germs can turn into a cold or something worse. Just in case your little one will get sick at some point during the trip, bring appropriate items to care for him or her.
  • Keep a first-aid kit handy. New environments and experiences mean that your toddler will be trying things for the first time. In some cases, these could lead to accidents, such as bumps, bruises, and cuts. Be ready to handle all of those by having a small kit nearby.
  • Bring lots of snacks. Your toddler will frequently be hungry, so never leave without bringing a few options for him or her to eat during the trip. Water and juice is also a must.
  • Be patient. You should already be able to manage the stress of being a parent, but when you’re on vacation, there are so many different things happening that it’s easy to get overwhelmed. If possible, divide parenting duties between you so that you don’t have to be “on duty” for the whole trip.
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4 Driving Tips for Halloween

Halloween Driving Safety

Halloween is always a festive day for both children and adults. Costumes, candy, trick-or-treaters; there’s plenty to enjoy when this “spooky” day arrives every October.

With so much celebration and kids on foot on Halloween, especially after dark, it’s important to be extra careful when you get behind the wheel.

Below are 5 Halloween driving safety tips to help you make sure Halloween is safe for you, your passengers, and the trick-or-treaters roaming the streets.

1. Don’t drive with a mask.

Masks can be a fun part of any costume. If you are dressing up and your costume requires a mask, make sure to keep it off until you arrive at your destination. Masks can obscure vision and cause unnecessary risk to you and others!

2. Use caution in neighborhoods

While you never want to speed through a residential neighborhood, you’ll want to be especially careful on Halloween.

Families with youngsters are out trick-or-treating, crossing streets and walking in driveways. Drive slower than normal to make sure you are keeping the little ghosts and goblins in your neighborhood safe.

3. Avoid using your phone while driving

Cell phones are a driving distraction that always should be avoided.  (See Part 2 of “10 Dangerous Practices to Avoid While Driving.”)  On Halloween, it’s even more important! With children out on the streets and more traffic, you’ll want to make sure you keep eyes on the road.

Put your cell phone in your glovebox while you drive to avoid the temptation to check it while driving.  To help with sounds coming from your glovebox that might make you curious, turn off your phone or if you have an iPhone with iOS11, put your phone in “driving mode” before putting it in the glovebox.

4. Use your turn signals

You should always use your turn signals, but be extra vigilant about using them on Halloween. With the increased foot traffic, it’s important to signal when turning to avoid an accident with other cars and pedestrians.

Keep Halloween a fun and festive night for you and your neighbors!

By following a few, simple Halloween driving safety tips, you can enjoy the spirit of the season while keeping yourself, and others, safe.