Our Tips To Avoid Blind Spots | Gaithersburg, MD

It’s no question that all parents understand the importance of a car seat. But as car seats become more and more advanced the harder they are to understand, which leads to improper installations and other potentially harmful mistakes. This week we want to make sure that your little bundles of joys are safely secured in their seats to help give you the peace of mind you need to get from point A to point B! So this week are focusing on the DOs when dealing with a car seat. So take a look at our tips below and if you have any questions we will do our best to help answer them. And when installing or turning your child to front-facing, be sure to check out your seat’s instructions and your vehicle’s owners manual to see what they suggest. King Volkswagen's Car Seat Do’s: Make sure the harness-retainer clip is level with your child’s armpits. If they are in the wrong place, the straps could end up sliding off. Take your car-seat to a local inspection site so a professional can ensure the installation is correct. Choose a car-seat with a five-point harness. If you have a forward-facing seat, place the harness straps on your child’s shoulders to ensure the most protection in the event of a collision. If your child has outgrown a car-seat, try using a high-back booster seat. Studies have shown these are safer than backless ones in the event of side-impact collisions. Tighten the harness straps so they are tight enough for you to only fit one finger underneath. Safety-belts should be tightened enough so the seat is only able to wiggle less than one inch from side to side.

If you regularly drive with a child in the car, you understand the importance of a car seat and most likely the basics of how to install it. But, as car seats become more and more advanced, it may become trickier to set them up, which leads to improper installations and other potentially harmful mistakes. This week we want to make sure that your little bundles of joys are safely secured in their seats to help give you the peace of mind you need to get from point A to point B! So, below we’ve compiled a checklist of steps to take to make sure your car seat is safe and properly installed! King Volkswagen’s Car Seat Checklist: Make sure the harness-retainer clip is level with your child’s armpits. If they are in the wrong place, the straps could end up sliding off. Take your car-seat to a local inspection site so a professional can ensure the installation is correct. Choose a car-seat with a five-point harness. If you have a forward-facing seat, place the harness straps on your child’s shoulders to ensure the most protection in the event of a collision. If your child has outgrown a car-seat, try using a high-back booster seat. Studies have shown these are safer than backless ones in the event of side-impact collisions. Tighten the harness straps so they are tight enough for you to only fit one finger underneath. Safety belts should be tightened enough so the seat is only able to wiggle less than one inch from side to side

King VW knows how hard it can be to concentrate on the road, especially during long trips. But, we want to remind our community to stay safe and remember not to drive distracted. There are three main types of distractions while on the road: manual, visual, and cognitive. Manual distractions are any distractions where you remove one or both hands from the wheel. Visual distractions are when you are looking elsewhere than the road. And finally cognitive distractions are when your mind wanders away from the task of driving. It is important to stow electronics away where they can not tempt you and continuously check your mentality when driving. It is okay to pull over to take breaks if you are having trouble keeping your mind on the roads. Keep your community safe and drive distraction free so everyone can reach their next destination. The Facts About Distracted Driving: 7% of all fatal crashes in 2019 were distraction-related resulting in 3,142 lives lost, an increase of 9.9% over 2018 when 2,858 lives were lost due to distracted driving. NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts 2019 (released December 2020) Eight percent of fatal crashes, 15 percent of injury crashes, and 14 percent of all police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2018 were reported as distraction-affected crashes. About 400,000 were injured and 2,841 killed as a result of distraction-affected crashes. Traffic Safety facts April 2020, NHTSA About 1 of every 5 people killed by distracted drivers in 2018 were not in vehicles-they were walking, riding bikes, or otherwise outside of vehicles. NHTSA Distracted driving crashes are under-reported and the NSC estimates that cell phone use alone accounted for 27%  of 2015 car crashes. NSC Research conducted by telematics and behavioral analytics company Cambridge Mobile Telematics shows distracted driving occurring in more than 36 percent of trips across the United States. The fatal crash rate for teens is 3 times greater than for drivers age 20 and over (IIHS) Driver distraction is responsible for more than 58% of teen crashes.  AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety According to the CDC drivers aged 15-19 were more likely to be distracted than drivers aged 20 and older, among drivers in crashes where a death occurred. Nine percent of all teens who died in crashes were killed in distraction-affected crashes. For more information about Distracted Driving visit EndDD.org.