The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has a lot to say to Americans about safely navigating our roads. While the group constantly warns drivers about the dangers of speeding, holding your phone, and not buckling up, let’s review some common driving mistakes parents make with their kids in the car.

By the way, as of this writing, I’ve got a four-year-old and a six-year-old, so this topic hits close to home.

5 driving mistakes parents make with their kids in the car:

• Driving while distracted
• Installing car seats improperly
• Not buckling children up correctly
• Not using child locks
• Leaving kids in the car unattended

It’s hard to remember that in the driver’s seat, we aren’t flight attendants. We’re pilots. The pilot never comes out and hands passengers their drinks, gets them blankets, or asks if they need anything while controlling the plane. 

The NHTSA says that distracted driving caused 3,308 deaths in 2022. While texting is a common distraction, the group also says that talking to passengers falls within this category, too. Now, those of us with small children understand that without a screen in front of them, kiddos are going to talk to us and make “comfort”-related requests, well, nonstop. “Can I have my snack?” “I can’t open this.” “I dropped my toy.” “How many more minutes?” “Look at that!”

Of course, some folks prefer not to have their kids glued to screens. In any case, resolve not to move or look back in ways that take your attention away from driving safely. Try to set your kids up for a cozy, independent backseat trip ahead of time.

Per a 2020 NHTSA press release, 46% of car seats are installed incorrectly. This is despite drivers feeling confident they did it correctly. Make sure you’ve followed your car seat’s instructions for proper installation. You can also watch YouTube videos or even get a car seat inspection.

On a related note, a less-than-10-year-old study from the same authority found that 40% of forward-facing harness straps were too loose on children. Unfortunately, I’ve seen it myself many times on social media. The five-point harness is either too loose, or the chest buckle is too low.

Once your littles develop a larger sense of curiosity, you might find them opening the windows and doors when you least expect it. Most modern cars have an easy-to-engage child safety lock mechanism inside the rear door panel. Simply open the car door and find the toggle (it’s usually black but could be clear or white). The passenger window lock is on the master window switch on the left front interior door panel.

This leads me to the last driving mistake parents make with kids in the car we’ll cover today. 

I say this as a nineties kid who was left in the car for what felt like eons at a time: leaving children in the car unattended is pretty much always a bad idea. While some states have zero laws prohibiting parents from doing this, it doesn’t mean you should. Moreover, depending on the circumstances, like hot or cold temps, police officers will respond to and escalate calls about unattended children.

Consider just taking your kids in with you and budgeting enough time and patience to do so. Otherwise, at best, your kid(s) might have terrible childhood memories of waiting for you to come back. At worst, your children could get hurt in some way, go missing, or worse. Often, unfortunate scenarios involve kids being essentially trapped in the car.

Hopefully, understanding some common driving mistakes parents make with kids in the car will help lower otherwise preventable accidents.