The reality is that one minute, your child is standing beside your trolley, and the next, they’ve dashed off and so begins the panic. Until now – because we’ve rounded up our top parking lot safety tips for keeping your little one safe when you’re in the parking lot.
When you think of dangerous areas, we’re pretty sure parking lots will most likely be at the very bottom of your list (if it even makes your list). But that’s where the issue lies. Even with the risks of potential potholes, a car accidentally bumping into yours and aggressive drivers fighting for the same parking spot, we generally don’t associate risks with parking lots. Unless you’re a parent.
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As a parent you know that kids aren’t just energetic – they’re incredibly quick! And because they don’t understand the dangers of being out in public, they’re most likely to make a quick dash for it, whether that’s straight to the sweets aisle or the middle of a busy parking lot. What’s worse is that many drivers aren’t exactly being vigilant in this space either. The results? A highly dangerous situation!
But we aren’t here to paint a grim picture. In fact, we want to keep you (and your hyperactive little one) safe, and here’s how you’re going to do it!
Our top parking lot safety tips
Establish some ground rules
It’s important to remember that toddlers struggle to understand when it is and isn’t appropriate to run. You will need to help them understand that a parking lot isn’t the same as a playground. Remind them that they are to watch out for cars, hold your hand, and use their ‘walking feet’, not running, when they’re in the parking lot.
Load the kids in the car and then the groceries
In order for you to minimise accidents (and a headache), we suggest putting the little ones in their car seats first. Buckle them up and THEN begin to load the car with all of the groceries. This will help reduce the amount of chaos and leave you to pack the car in peace!
Touch the car
This one’s a game-changer! If you have more than one kid in the parking lot, we suggest teaching them the ‘hands-on the car’ game! When unloading all of your children from the car, instruct them to put BOTH hands on the vehicle until everyone is out safely. From there each one can remove their hands one at a time and proceed into the grocery store.
Teach them basic pedestrian skills
Remember how our parents used to drill the ‘look to your left, right, and left again’ saying into our heads? Well, the saying lives on! Teaching your kids these important skills about crossing the road, or even a parking lot, is crucial. It is important that you instil a sense of vigilance in them so that they always remain alert whenever you leave the home!
Make contact
It’s important that when walking through the parking lot, you and your child are making contact at all times! Ensure that they are always holding your hand. In the event that you are now shopping and have to push a trolley around, ask your child to hold onto either your shirt or the cart so that they are close to you at all times!
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Being a safe driver in a parking lot
While you may deem yourself a ‘very cautious driver’ that doesn’t necessarily mean that you are contributing to the safety of the parking lot. That’s right – you play a significant role in parking lot safety too! As much as we are warning you to look out for other drivers, you need to also keep yourself in check.
Our top tips for safe parking lot driving
Look around before you move your car
Always, always (and again – ALWAYS) be careful and do a quick 360 look to ensure that nobody and nothing is in your way! Even if you have a backup camera, it’s always better to be safe than sorry… and in many cases, some cameras haven’t even been able to detect a child!
Reiterate parking lot safety
Even as you pull out of the parking lot, emphasise the importance of safety to your children. Verbally remind them that you are keeping an eye out for other people walking around in order to keep everyone safe!
Assess your car insurance
Now, this point won’t exactly work if you aren’t a Oneplan Car and Household Insurance client, because regular car insurance policies won’t offer you the same level of flexibility! With Oneplan, you can adjust your cover whenever you’d like, which is why many of our clients choose to rev up the level of cover they have as the weather gets warmer and more people are out and about. With shopping malls being incredibly busy, the likelihood of parking lot accidents increases tenfold.
So, to avoid a nasty situation, up your cover percentage using our exclusive sliding scale and be able to travel to the store with the kids knowing that you are completely sorted, covered and protected. Because that’s just the Oneplan way!
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