Keeping Kids Safe at Home and on the Road

Have you ever heard the saying “Little kids/little problems, big kids/big problems?”  I have a friend who always says that, and I’m starting to realize she may be right.  My son turned 13 last month and even though he is a great kid who doesn’t give us any issues, I am starting to realize that the worries do get bigger.  When he was an infant and toddler, I worried most about him getting enough sleep, eating enough veggies and keeping him healthy.  Check out my following tips on keeping kids safe at home and on the road.

Now, I have to worry about whether he is safe on the Internet or at a friend’s house.  Don’t even get me started on when he gets older…yikes!  I’m already worrying about what it will be like when he and his friends have their driver’s licenses!

Did you know that May is National Youth Safety Awareness Month?  With Summer approaching and prom and graduation on the horizon, it’s now more important than ever to make sure your kids know how to keep themselves safe in all situations.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 2,524 teen drivers and passengers were killed and 177,000 were injured in 2013.  According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 27 percent of these fatalities occurred between April and June, prime times for donning dresses and tuxedos, and caps and gowns.

In Pennsylvania, 149 teenagers were killed in an accident involving a young driver in 2013 – that is a very scary statistic!

I realize that I can’t keep my kids in a bubble and I’m in no way a helicopter mom, but I do need to make sure that he is safe at all times and that he knows what he needs to do to stay safe.  We often discuss appropriate online behavior, and he knows we check his phone frequently to make sure our family rules for Internet usage are being followed.

For us, that means knowing who he is texting, and we have his phone set up with blocks on it so certain websites, like YouTube, can’t be accessed without our permission and yes, he knows we check his phone.

We also have rules about where he is allowed to go with friends. He knows he cannot get into cars with friends or even his friends’ parents unless we have given him prior permission. Thankfully, since he is still young we don’t have too many issues with this, but I’m sure as he gets older and he and his friends start driving, this is something that will concern us more.

Even though he won’t have a driver’s license for another three years, we are already talking to him about proper driving skills, such as how you don’t text and drive and to never get into a car with someone who is or has been drinking.

These are all important things to consider as a parent, but it’s only the beginning…and frankly it’s a lot to take in. I found a great site that can help get you pointed in the right direction when your son or daughter starts to drive, so it won’t be so overwhelming.

Mercury Insurance created a Drive Safe website, complete with tips and information that will help prepare your teen to drive, a drive safe contract, interactive quizzes and videos and other helpful resources. It will help you better prepare your kids for life behind the wheel, which will make us all sleep better.

What tips do you have for keeping kids safe each and every day, whether at home or on the road?

This is a sponsored post on behalf of Mercury Insurance but as always, my opinion is 100% my own.