Did you know that child car seats adjust in size? Many parents do not, and others may be unsure of when it is the right time to make adjustments.

While working with both parents and car seats daily, this is a question that arises more than anything else. Car seat adjustment is often covered in the car seat manual, which is specific to the car seat you have. We would like to cover some of the broader aspects of when it’s time to make adjustments, as well as some things to look out for.

CAR SEAT ADJUSTMENT FOR GROWING CHILDREN 

Car seats are designed to keep your child safe in a crash. Different types of seats accommodate your child at their different developmental stages as they grow. An infant seat is effective in cradling the softer spine, skull, and pelvis of a baby. A toddler seat is better at protecting a bigger child who can sit up and move around.

We often encounter parents who wish to move their children to the next stage of their car seat far too soon. This is often due to misunderstanding or misinformation regarding the function of a car seat. The time to move your child to the next car seat is represented as a range depending on their weight and age. However, many parents view the lowest point of the range as the time to transition. 

When campaigning for better road safety, it is imperative that we use the correct words to achieve our goals. One big topic of discussion is using the word “crash” instead of “accident.” If you have read our articles or social media posts, you may have noticed that we never use the word “accident.”

In this article, we want to explore the reasons behind this deliberate choice of wording, the implications, and the appropriateness of one over the other. We also want to look at some other commonly used terms and phrases that are harmful when talking about road safety.

WHY NOT “ACCIDENT”? 

Calling a crash a “car accident” is a social norm. As the writer of these articles, it was a phrase I had to train myself out of using because it was so ingrained. But that begs the question: if we all use the term, how is it wrong?

The Oxford Dictionary defines an accident as “something that happens by chance and without an obvious cause”.

When we examine a crash, there are almost always identifiable factors that caused it. When so many people lose their lives on the road or are left with life-changing injuries, we should always strive for the improvement of road safety. While no one plans to be involved in a car crash, crashes are preventable.

There will always be a case of if something had been different, the crash would not have happened. A drunk person should have called a cab. A child should have worn a seatbelt. The tyres could have been replaced sooner. Fewer passengers should have been allowed in the vehicle. The bus driver should have been properly vetted. The driver should have stopped to sleep. The road should have had better lighting.

To affect change and save lives, we need to acknowledge that crashes are preventable. They do not happen by random chance to someone unlucky that day. If we want to view them happening through a lens of “chance”, then it should be understood that the factors that increase and decrease the likelihood of that chance are variables. Variables can be changed.

WHY DO WE CALL IT AN ACCIDENT THEN? 

Losing someone to a car crash is devastating. It feels as though someone was taken away from you in an instant. Even if you have not experienced this loss personally, we all empathise with the loss when we hear about it, especially when it comes to children. It feels unfair.

Often we turn to questioning the universe or God as to why this happened, not to explore the actual mechanisms of what went wrong, but to make sense of a tragedy.

When talking to someone who is grieving a loss, we often use phrases like “It was God’s plan”, “Everything happens for a reason”, and “It was his time to go”. These phrases can provide comfort. They allude to a greater plan, rather than a senseless loss. When someone is coming to terms with loss, it is not an appropriate time to tell them that their loved one’s death was preventable or the result of someone’s actions. For a lot of people, calling it an “accident” is easier to accept on a personal level. 

But on the other side of the coin, for some families who want justice, calling these deaths an accident when their loved one has died on account of another careless or irresponsible driver is aggravating.

Knocking over a glass of milk is an accident, but the preventable death of a person should not be spoken about similarly.

THE BIGGER PROBLEM 

To see a positive change in road safety, we have to hold people or governments accountable for factors that increase the dangers on our roads.

It angers us to read about yet another taxi full of school children involved in a horrific crash. It is disrespectful to the lives lost to chalk these crashes down to an “accident” when there is so much that could be done to save young lives. Road-related injuries are the leading cause of death in children aged 5-19 years old. This is a crisis. Yet not nearly enough is being done to mitigate the dangers to our children.

When we write off a crash as an accident, we are inadvertently saying that it is something that “just happens”. It suggests that it was an unintentional event, yet the causes that lead to the outcome are very often intentional disregard for safety. Child fatalities in road-related incidents are studied and analyzed almost more than any other childhood disease. We know that more often than not it is preventable.

To offer a different perspective: should you be involved in a collision, the language used when reporting the incident or submitting an insurance claim can greatly affect the legal and financial outcomes. If described as an “accident”, this suggests no fault. If described as a “crash” or “collision” this implies there is fault which can greatly influence liability and insurance claims.

This distinction of different terminology carries weight in many areas. In other words, words have meaning and nuance, and the difference matters.

“HUMAN ERROR” 

A few months ago, when writing about a taxi of school children driving in front of a train, a quote stood out to me – one I still think about often. “It was down to stupid human error”.  Human error. “People make mistakes” is an appropriate thing to tell a child when they knock over a glass of juice, but the same sentiment applied to a driver whose reckless driving cost ten children their lives is obscene. 

Often when “human error” is mentioned, it is framed as if it is a reason for a crash. But much like “accident”, it also comes across as “one of those things that just happens”. It certainly feels like it absolves some of the blame.

“ACT OF GOD” 

Framing a crash as an “Act of God” has some more serious implications. Some may understand the sentiment similar to “part of God’s plan”, but the term “Act of God” carries legal weight.

Often used to describe events that are not a result of human action such as natural disasters or extreme weather. In these events, a person cannot legally be held liable for death, injury or damage. “Act of God” is appropriate to the aftermath of a flood, but not a collision as a result of reckless driving.

“THE VEHICLE LOST CONTROL” 

Often when crashes are reported in the news, the phrase “the vehicle lost control” is not uncommon. This has a few problems. Firstly, “the driver lost control of the vehicle” is the correct phrase. Vehicles are under the control of a driver, not the other way around. There are of course situations in which the driver is more likely to lose control of a vehicle, such as on account of adverse weather conditions. However, there are also situations in which the loss of control is preventable or at least could have been minimised.

Losing control of a vehicle can also be on account of poor and irregular maintenance, overloading of vehicles and dangerous driving. When it is stated that “the vehicle lost control” accountability is directed away from the driver.

To a lot of people, this article may seem like a case of nitpicking semantics. However, the words used to describe road incidents can have real-life impacts or consequences. In some countries, advocacy groups, safety officials and public health officials have even gone as far as to try to ban the use of words like “accident” in media reporting. On a topic as serious as road safety, it is crucially important that terminology is appropriate and correct, both legally, and socially and to create change for the better.

An important aspect of child road safety that starts at home: driveway danger and reversing cars.

As the new year begins and everyone settles back into their work and school routines, we want to highlight an important aspect of child road safety that starts at home: the risks posed by driveways and reversing vehicles.

In the US, 50 children are injured by reversing vehicles, and of this number, 2 are fatal. In 70% of cases, the driver is a parent or relative. There are few statistics for this in South Africa, but given that we have some of the most dangerous roads for children, one can assume reversing vehicles poses as much, if not more of a risk for our children.

These driveway tragedies predominantly happen to children under 5 years old, with 1-year-olds being the primary victims. 

STORIES TOO CLOSE TO HOME 

While actual statistics about reversing car fatalities in South Africa may be sparse, news stories are plenty to attest that reversing cars are a risk to our kids as well.

In 2021, a toddler was treated for serious injuries after his father reversed over him while backing his SUV out of the garage. While their mother prepared breakfast, he and his brother darted out of the house to say goodbye to their father.

“I immediately felt something was wrong and ran out. I saw him lying in the driveway. My husband said he felt he bumped something and immediately stopped. He didn’t drive over him. When he got out he saw him lying on the ground,” said Danelle Kerswell, his mother.

The article includes the eerie and heartbreaking detail that a little plastic bucket and spade lay next to the toddler.

While the Kerswell’s son may have survived the incident, a Graaf-Reinet mother faced charges of culpable homicide after she reversed over her 2-year-old toddler who died.

In 2015, a 1-year-old toddler in Constantia was also killed by a reversing vehicle in a driveway. In 2016, an 18-month-old child in Cato Ridge was also injured from a reversing vehicle in a driveway.

In an article by Highway Mail, an ER24 paramedic highlights that toddlers are the primary victims of reversing victims. He said, “All incidents involved toddlers. One incident involved a girl between 18 months and two years old. She sustained minor injuries. Another incident involved an 18-month-old boy who sustained a femur fracture, and unfortunately, there was nothing paramedics could do to save the child in the third incident.”  

WHY TODDLERS ARE HIGH RISK 

Young children, especially toddlers, are often the victims of reversing cars. They are at a higher risk due to the behaviours typical of their age and being less easily seen due to a vehicle’s blind spots.

• Toddlers have less environmental awareness. They are also less likely to notice and move out of the path of a reversing vehicle. If they are playing, they may be completely distracted from the oncoming danger.
• Toddlers are more likely to impulsively and spontaneously run into the path of a vehicle. They are also hindered physically – less coordinated, less balanced and have slower reactions. Toddlers who have just started walking tend to take off at a faster-than-expected pace with often little thought for their destination.
• Young children are already vulnerable in general when it comes to vehicles as their small size makes it hard to see around the body of a vehicle. When a car is reversing, the driver is blind to about 4-7 meters behind the vehicle. Sloped driveways leading up to a garage are very common in South Africa. These create even less visibility, having a narrow view while backing out of the garage itself.
• Children are also likely to follow a leaving person to their car, sometimes going unnoticed. Children may also run up to a vehicle to greet an arriving person without knowing the dangers of a moving car.
• Children, especially toddlers, have a higher chance of fatal injuries when knocked or driven over by a reversing vehicle. Even when not fatal, injuries are likely to be severe, resulting in brain damage or lifelong disability.

As adults, we must actively counter these factors to mitigate the risk to kids.

YOU CAN’T REVERSE TIME – AVOID THE RISK

 Many people become complacent in thinking “accidents” could never happen to them, but no one plans an accident. All it takes is a single moment of error to shatter your entire life. The risk should never be assumed to be 0%, but one can take steps to ensure the risk percentage is as low as possible.

Safety checks:

• When leaving the house, ensure the doors are closed behind you so that your child cannot follow you to the car.
• Before climbing into your vehicle, look behind and under the car.
• Keep your children in the car while you drive in or out.
• If another adult is with you, have them watch the back of the vehicle while you reverse, especially if you are reversing out of a garage.
• Set your GPS or take calls before you start your car. Avoid all distractions while driving, especially while reversing.
• When someone else is arriving or leaving your house, hold your child’s hand so they cannot dash into the path of a vehicle.
• Don’t solely rely on reverse sensors or rear cameras to show a clear path when reversing. These also have blindspots that can easily hide a small child.

Minimise the risk:

• Driveways should be inaccessible to children. If children can reach it from your garden or play area, fence it off.
• Teach your child that the driveway is a no-go zone. Allowing them to play in the driveway teaches them to become comfortable and unaware of an unsafe area. Toys should also never be left near or around the driveway.
• Teach your children to say goodbye or greet you at the door and not on the driveway.
• Open doors and gates yourself rather than teaching your small children how to open them. Young children having the ability to open doors before they learn how to navigate the world is dangerous in all aspects.

WHILE WE ARE ON THE TOPIC OF REVERSING CARS..

 Reversing cars is not only a risk to children in driveways. Anywhere where cars park is a potential danger.

Parking lots that have a high density of cars and pedestrians should also be treated with added caution. These could include malls, shopping centres, taxi ranks, schools and so on. Densely packed parking lots offer limited visibility to drivers and pedestrians. This US poll found that two-thirds of drivers are distracted while driving through parking lots. 50% of drivers admitted to texting, sending emails, using social media and setting the GPS while operating a vehicle in a parking lot.

When walking through a parking lot with your children:

• Firmly hold onto their hands while navigating a car park.
• Avoid walking behind the rear of a car where possible, making use of sidewalks.
• If walking behind a car is the only option, be vigilant of reversing cars.
• When you get to your car, secure your children inside first before loading your shopping.
• If you are loading or unloading multiple children, have your children stand with their hands on the vehicle until you are ready to go.
• Please do not allow children to run or play in the carpark and encourage them to look right and left before each crossing. To keep them from running around, try to have them stand in one place with their hands up in the air. For many small children, this sometimes will root them in place.
• Make use of pedestrian crossing areas.
• As a driver, reverse parking in a parking lot will allow you more visibility when you leave. Still, pull out of your parking spot carefully as small children may still be obscured by the height of your car.

Driveways and parking lots are spaces we navigate daily. They can become sites of unimaginable tragedy if proper precautions aren’t taken. The statistics and heartbreaking stories underscore the importance of vigilance. Especially when it comes to protecting our youngest and most vulnerable.

By adopting proactive safety measures—such as checking your surroundings, minimising distractions, and educating children about potential dangers—you can significantly reduce the risk of this happening to your child. Simple steps, like holding a child’s hand in a parking lot or securing driveway access at home, can make all the difference.

Ultimately, we all share the responsibility of ensuring our children’s safety around vehicles. A single moment of caution can prevent a lifetime of regret. Remember, you can’t reverse time, but you can reverse carefully and thoughtfully to protect the lives of those who matter most.

STRENGTHENING THE CHAIN OF ROAD SAFETY 

We often look at different aspects of road safety as separate factors. The reality is that road safety is a chain in which all these factors are linked.

We see so much emphasis on which is the best car seat and whether rear-facing is better than forward-facing that oftentimes, we overlook other links in the “road safety chain”. While having a good child restraint system is important, its efficacy is diminished if the driver does not observe safe driving, if weather conditions are bad, or if you have neglected to replace your tyres.

Like any chain – figurative or literal – it is only as strong as the individual links of its makeup. Any link that is weak or broken will cause the chain to fall apart. One link is no more important than the rest when it comes to the effectiveness of the chain as a whole. This is also true when it comes to road safety.

CHAIN LINK ONE: CHILD SAFETY RESTRAINT SYSTEM 

By law, all children must use a car seat up until the age of 3 years old.

Keep in mind that almost everything in a car is manufactured around the size and weight of an adult. Up until the age of 10, car seats and other child restraint systems will always be the safest option for your child. Thereafter they will be the correct size and weight to use a seatbelt.

Make sure that your child is using the right type of car seat for their developmental stage. Their bodies are still growing and changing and they have different needs at each stage of development. They need the right car seat to accommodate these needs.

Do not feel pressured to move your child to their next car seat, as soon as they reach the minimum requirements for that seat. Last month, we looked at a study that analysed crash statistics and it indicated that children were vulnerable during the transition period from one seat to the next. Keep them in their current car seat as long as possible. As you can see from our  , the transition period can span several months. In that time, they continue to develop with their little bodies becoming stronger. Use our chart to track your child’s development so that you know when they will be ready for their next car seat.

Also important is the correct installation of your car seat. A car seat that is not properly installed could be more harmful to your child than having no car seat at all. We cannot stress the importance of carefully following the installation guidelines as set out in the manual.

Modern cars include a universal car seat anchorage system known as ISOFIX. Choosing an ISOFIX-compatible car seat will allow for easy installation in most vehicles.

CHAIN LINK TWO: A SAFE DRIVER 

One might argue that road safety starts with the driver. While a driver cannot always control the factors external to the car, they are responsible for their passengers inside their car.

The driver must set an example for their passengers – especially their children who tend to follow the actions of those around them. For example, statistics show that there is less chance that other passengers in a vehicle will use a seatbelt if the driver neglects to do so. By extension, a driver should always be informed of road safety practices and demonstrate them inside their vehicle and out.

Drivers should also never overload their vehicles. Each person should have their own seat and thus their own seatbelt or car seat. An overloaded vehicle means that not every passenger is safely restrained. The extra weight and force of additional and unrestrained bodies can lead to greater injury or death in a crash.

Your children are also worth the time it takes to teach and reinforce road safety rules. As most of us cannot be with our children every second of the day, we are responsible for teaching them principles that might keep them safe when they are in someone else’s care.

It is also important for a driver to operate a vehicle with a clear mind. Focus on operating your vehicle safely without distraction. No one should ever drive under the influence of drugs or alcohol, no matter how capable you think you may be in that state. Driving while fatigued is also a big contributor to car crashes.

Distractions behind the wheel are incredibly dangerous – in South Africa, texting while driving is the reason behind 25% of crashes.

When you are driving, your mind should be present and focused while doing so.

CHAIN LINK THREE: A SAFE VEHICLE 

Vehicle maintenance is vital to road safety. Routine maintenance should be a top priority. A well-maintained car has a much higher chance of keeping occupants safer in a crash or avoiding a crash altogether.

Routine maintenance will ensure that your engine, tyres, wheel alignment, brake pads, lights and other functions of your vehicle are running at optimal condition. Drivers should also regularly inspect their vehicles for damage and wear between services.

The cost of maintaining a vehicle often leads to many people putting off maintenance as long as they can. Delaying maintenance is not only unsafe but it can lead to small problems becoming bigger and more expensive over time. Maintenance will also more likely find hidden problems that a driver may miss in their inspections.

CHAIN LINK FOUR: SAFE ROADS AND DRIVING CONDITIONS 

Every driver knows that driving can be unpredictable when it comes to other road users and atypical driving conditions. One of the challenges of driving is anticipating potential dangers and avoiding them.

Defensive driving is a great practice for all drivers. Defensive driving prioritises safe driving by having the driver constantly process and analyse the potential risks around them. Driving at a speed appropriate for the roads you are travelling on allows you more time to react to unpredictable situations and avoid the likelihood of a crash.

 A good driver adapts their driving to fit the conditions around them. We maintain that for every adverse driving condition – such as bad weather, low light conditions, busy traffic, residential or school zones where children are dashing into the road and so on – you should reduce your speed by 10% per condition. If you are driving with children, you should further reduce your speed by 10% as they are vulnerable passengers in the event of a crash.

When travelling, try to remain knowledgeable of avoidable hazards, roadworks, power outages or dangerous areas. The more you know, the more capable you are of better judgement.

Road safety is essential, especially if it keeps our children safe. But it must extend to all four of these areas of road safety. Parents and caregivers must work at constantly maintaining and improving these different links of the road safety chain in equal measure to keep themselves, their children, and other road users safe.

Consider the strength of your road safety chain and how you can work on fortifying the links that hold it together.