You’re driving down I-35 in Austin, Texas, one morning, rushing to drop off your children at daycare and get to work on time. Suddenly, an ear-piercing screech lets out from the backseat as your child spills milk in their lap.  

You scramble to grab napkins out of the glovebox and reach into the backseat to try and clean the mess. Just like that, you rear-end another vehicle.  

As parents, we spend money on the best car seats and time on safety checks to keep our children safe inside our vehicles. Unfortunately, children in the vehicle are one of the leading causes of distracted driving. Children can be 12 times more distracting to a driver than talking on a cellphone. 

While there’s no easy fix to prevent children from causing disruptions, here are a few ways to limit distractions from your children while driving. 

Prepare Ahead of Time 

Preparing for road trips ahead of time can help reduce distractions from your children. Rummaging through the car, digging in diaper bags, and reaching into the back seat are dangerous distractions.  

Try having necessities within arm’s reach for your kids. Keeping snacks, wipes, and drinks in the passenger’s seat can provide easy access so you can quickly accommodate your children’s needs.  

While it’s important to anchor loose objects in the car, don’t clip anything to the car seat or car seat handle. It’s not recommended by manufacturers and can injure your baby’s head in a car accident. Instead, fasten soft toys, blankets, and pacifiers to their clothes. This can prevent them from being thrown or dropped without putting your child at risk. 

If you have older children in a forward-facing car seat or booster, try a car organizer. These come in all different shapes and sizes, so you can pick what works best for you and your child. Having a car organizer on one of the car seats within reaching distance of your child can allow them to be more self-sufficient and limit your distractions. 

Provide Your Own Distractions 

Boredom is often the cause of misbehavior in children. Keeping your child busy and entertained is a great way to prevent them from causing major disruptions while you’re driving.  

There are several ways to keep your child occupied during a trip. 

  • Make a playlist of your child’s favorite music. 
  • Bring their favorite books or audiobooks. 
  • Have a tablet set up to play your child’s favorite movies and shows. 
  • Play road games like the license plate game or the alphabet game down Highway 190 in Killeen, Texas. 

Providing headphones is another excellent way to minimize distractions. You don’t want to give them anything that will contribute to loud noises or disruptive activity. 

Make Them Wait 

Through all the planning, kids will be kids. It’s okay to make your child wait if it’s not an emergency. A dropped toy isn’t an emergency, and it can wait until you arrive at your destination.  

If your child is screaming or crying over the missing toy, you may need to address the issue. The noise can be distracting, as well. If there are distractions in the car that need to be dealt with immediately, such as a spill or a severely upset child, you may have to pull over. 

It’s important that you find a safe place to stop, such as a gas station. It may be tempting to pull to the side of the road to immediately tend to your child, but asking them to wait ten minutes until you reach an appropriate rest stop is a much safer choice.  

Set Ground Rules 

Setting clear expectations ahead of time can also help eliminate distractions. For instance, as you buckle them in and hand them their entertainment, tell your child, “If you drop this, I won’t be able to get it for you until we’ve stopped.” This prepares them for what to expect and helps them understand the importance of maintaining a calm and safe environment in the car.  

Understanding road safety is important for your children to avoid causing potential distractions. If a child unbuckles their seatbelt or sticks their hands out of the window, parents are likely to panic and divert their attention from the road to the child. These split-second distractions can have harmful consequences. Explain to your children why certain behaviors in the car are dangerous. 

Similarly, fighting, yelling, or rough-housing in the back seat pose significant risks for all passengers. Transparent communication with your children is vital. Be honest with your kids about the consequences of their behavior – it’s okay to say, “Your behavior is distracting. I need to focus on driving so we don’t cause an accident.” 

Reinforce these rules regularly to ensure they become second nature to your children. By creating an environment of safety and understanding, you can help your children appreciate the importance of road safety and reduce distractions, making every trip safer for everyone. 

Daniel Stark is not affiliated with any product mentioned in this blog. We will not receive any kind of compensation for purchases made under direct links.