Being a new mom comes with many responsibilities of taking care of your kid and ensuring their safety. Safety awareness should be on another level when you have your baby in your car. You must pay attention to your baby while concentrating on the traffic. In such cases, moms make the mistake of focusing on their children more and forget to be vigilant on the roads leading to fatal accidents.
In addition, most moms will still force themselves to drive around even when they feel tired and unfocused. This leads to losing control of your vehicle leading to a catastrophic accident. If you are a new mom worried about driving and keeping your child safe, don't panic. This article will highlight mistakes to avoid when driving and ways to keep you and your child safe as a new mom.
Photo by Kampus Production from Pexels
Having Many Distractions
After getting your little bundle, most moms find it hard to concentrate and accomplish a single task. You will often feel overwhelmed by even the simple tasks. Focusing on one task at a time is essential, especially when driving. Additionally, putting on your makeup, focusing on the backseat when your baby is, and trying to drive can lead to losing focus on the road and other vehicles leading to crashes. Notably, most accidents are caused by distracted driving.
If you think you need to do another task or deal with a distractive passenger, you need to look for a parking spot along the road and deal with the distraction before resuming driving. If you don't get enough time to prepare, which forces you to do it while driving, we suggest you wake up and plan your day to ensure you complete all the tasks necessary. It will give you ample time to concentrate on the road.
Failure To Contact Your Lawyer In Case Of An Accident
After getting involved in an accident, most moms rush to defend themselves, especially when they are at fault. You may find that you are not at fault but apologizing can be used to imply that it was your fault. Being in an accident case can be complicated for new moms as most people assume they got distracted and caused it.
To avoid all this hassle, don't speak about the accident to anyone except your lawyer. Ensuring you have an experienced and proven personal injury counselor to guide you and represent you legally in case of an accident is crucial. A reputable lawyer will help gather evidence to prove the other driver's liability and help you get compensated for any injuries caused to you and your kid.
You must avoid all distractions that could make you cause an accident. However, if the other party is faulty, you must gather as much evidence as possible and present it to your lawyer. Some of the evidence will include pictures of the accident scenes and your and your baby's injuries. Such evidence will help get compensated for the loss caused. When you are at fault, your lawyer will gather the necessary evidence to try to defend you and ensure you get no or minimal penalties.
Failure To Properly Install The Child's-Safety Seat
Being a new mom, you are new to a child's safety seat, which can be challenging to install correctly. This can lead to constant distraction as you look back to ensure your kid is ok since if the safety belt is loose, your child can slip out, leading to a fatal accident. To avoid all this hassle, contact a reputable safety technician to help you install it. The technician will direct you on the mistakes you need to avoid when installing a child safety seat to ensure your child is safe and you reduce distractions. Don't forget to tighten the straps until there is no excess strap to pinch at the shoulders.
Driving While Sleeping
There are many tasks that new moms need to accomplish. They often lack time to sleep and relax. Checking the kid and trying to work can be tiring and exhausting. When you drive in a sleepy state, you may lose control of the wheel. Before you drive, you must evaluate yourself to ensure you are in the correct driving state. If not, look for other means of traveling, such as calling a cub or asking your partner to drive.
When you feel sleepy on the road, look for a safe spot and park your car. Place a timer and nap a couple of minutes to help you sober up while driving.
Final Words
The above are common mistakes most new mums make and a recommendation on how to avoid them. When driving, ensure you focus on the road and reduce all distractions. In case of anything, you can always contact your lawyer for guidance.