Keeping our children safe
The first long weekend of the “summer” is now over. It was a deadly one with many highway fatalities. The OPP was out in full force doing their best work, pulling over speeders and dangerous drivers, but they can’t be everywhere. It is up to us to practise responsible driving habits and to try and instil these habits in our children.
How do we do that? How can we keep our children safe on the roads? Many of the fatalities this weekend involved young drivers. They were too carefree, full of the exuberance of youth, and now they are gone. My heart goes out to their families and friends.
My daughter is not yet 15-years-old. I dread the day that she learns to drive and am even more fearful of those words “Mom, can I borrow the car?” I don’t want her to drive, but I know this would be unfair to her. I will have to allow her to learn one day. So even now I am trying to teach her, by example, to be a safe driver.
If I have to drive anywhere I do not drink. Yesterday I had to run a simple errand and I did it before dinner because I wanted to have a glass of wine with my meal. I told my daughter that’s why I had to nip out. She sees by example that I do not drink and drive … not even a drop.
Everyday I pick her up from school. I make sure she has her seat belt on and that her friends are respectful of that rule as well. I tell her that it is so important to wear a seat belt. If there were to be an accident, a seatbelt could save her life. It’s a life I know she takes for granted, but a life I know could be so fleeting.
I also try my best not to drive above the posted speed limits. She has told me at times to drive faster because she is in a hurry and I tell her that speeding is against the law and I do not break the law. My daughter has a healthy respect for the law so I am hoping that this approach might make her think twice before she drives too quickly.
I tell her she never has to accept a ride from someone if she doesn’t feel safe. I don’t care about the time, day or night. She can call me and I will be there. These aren’t empty words. She knows I am available and I have proved it time and time again.
But is this going to be enough? I can only hope that these driving rules will become second nature to my daughter so that when she learns to drive she will follow them naturally. Because, like the OPP, I can’t be everywhere.