As drivers on the Cape roads, there can be this sense that it’s just me in this bubble doing what I do and no one is affected, so long as I keep my senses alert and don’t behave too dangerously.
But that’s not the reality, there are members of our society that soak up info like thirsty V8s, those are our children.
Kids learn by following our example. If I get angry and impatient when the car in front is going too slow, they learn to be angry and impatient, it’s only natural. If I drive too fast, that becomes their norm. If it’s my habit, as dad, to buckle up, well, they’ll do the same.
So when your toddler gets into the car, and you’ve made a habit of buckling her into the car seat, then it becomes the natural thing to do.
You’ve set the habit and it happens, no mess, no fuss.
It’s only when you make exceptions to this rules that the toddler gets the idea into her head that buckling up is not an absolute. That’s when the arguments start, and the trip turns into a dangerous one. Never leave precious cargo unsecured.
Fact is, 123 children under the age of 15 were killed on Western Cape roads last year, 80 of them were pedestrians.
The change begins with you.