GOOD MOTORING
Look after your child’s safety
H. Kishie Singh

HE was getting out of the rear seat of a car and had not yet fully alighted when the driver drove off the car — over his foot. Tut-tut. Very careless of the driver.

The driver, like the captain of a ship, is responsible for the safety of all his passengers. There is a definite procedure that a driver must follow while stopping at a red light. This same procedure should be followed while collecting or dropping passengers.

At a red light, halt at the stop line. If you cross it, you will be on the zebra crossing. That is not allowed. You must stop behind the stop line. Then, follow this procedure: shift into neutral, pull up the hand brake, bring the right foot on foot brake and wait for the green light. This procedure will ensure that the car will not move accidentally, even if it gets hit from the rear.

With children you have to be doubly careful. They are playful at all times. For just this reason, manufacturers have childproof locks on the doors at the rear. They are there for a very good reason, but how many people use these locks? How many people know about these locks?

If you open the rear door on any of the new breed of cars, the rear door lock is easily visible. Moving the lever to one side, will ensure that the rear doors do not open from inside, but only from the outside.

This will force the driver to get out and let the children out. But before he can do that, he must do the following: switch the engine off, put the car in neutral, and put hand brake on. This will make certain that the car will not move.

The accompanying photographs show the location of a child-lock. Familiarise yourself with its location and use. It is a very useful safety aid. And don’t let children out through the on-side door (the one behind the driver), especially on a busy road or city street. Use the off-side doors.

Happy motoring.

This feature was published on March 20, 2004