Child Car Seat Safety

Child car seat safety is a critical issue in today’s society. There are so many cars on the roads and few drivers obey the speed limit to the number. Many unexpected things can happen while driving including a tire blowout or a deer running in the path of your vehicle. Researches urge parents to consider child car seat safety when traveling with little ones.

There are two approaches used to motivate people to be compliant with the rules and regulations of child car seat safety. The negative approach is exemplified with the above examples of a tire blow out or a deer running in front of the vehicle. Other ways to take a negative approach to motivating parents to obey child car seat safety regulations is to sue the law to intimidate them to follow through.

It may seem as if laws would be unnecessary to get parents to follow through with the proper procedure of strapping little ones into car seats when traveling. However, research shows that a negative approach that focuses on possible fines and penalties actually works against the cause. People are less likely to obey if they feel forced to do so.

This is not to suggest that people would risk their child’s safety just to break a law. However they may be more likely to hold an infant while making a quick jaunt to the store or while visiting a family member who lives right around the block. Somehow, the focus is more on the distance rather than the dangers.

Also child car seat safety as presented in a negative context may literally scare parents into denial. We naturally have this coping mechanism wired into our subconscious that protects us from being overwhelmed by fear. The child car seat safety requirements are only for those of us who expect to be in a car accident. None of us expect that.

A more effective approach is taking a positive stance on the benefits of child car seat safety. Research shows that parents responded favorably to learning the rewards of following proper procedure as mandated by law. Parents who focused on the child’s improved behavior while in a car seat as well as the knowledge that the child will not move around in the vehicle were widely accepted by parents.

Parents who incorporate child car seat safety procedure into their traveling routines do so because they want their child to be safe, not because they are afraid of fines or because they are frightened to death of some horrible accident. They do it because it is best for their child.