The safety, security and reliability of your car are all important - and even more so if you’ve got children. The vast majority of vehicles available today come with a reassuringly high number of standard safety features, including those designed especially to protect the lives of younger passengers.

But what can you do to ensure you’re offering a safe environment for your children when your attention is firmly on the road?

Make sure your car is in tip top shape

Stay on top of your car servicing to ensure your car engine is lubricated, brakes are primed, and oil, air and fuel filters are clean and fit for purpose. You’ll also want to regularly inspect your tyres to ensure your treads are within the legal limit, and your pressure is at the recommended level.

These simple checks will improve the performance of your car, help you identify problems quickly, and also better ensure the safety of all that join you in your vehicle.

Car seat safety

Car seats are an absolute minefield, so stay on top of the latest legislation before forking out on new seats. For child seats that you’re fitting in the back, check your model’s handbook as not all seats will fit every vehicle correctly or in the same way. A number of manufacturers build their cars with ISOFIX attachments included (a system to hold child seats in place), but don’t count on this being a standard feature in older cars.

I would never recommend fitting a car seat in the front passenger seat, but if you should ever need to, make sure you’ve deactivated the passenger airbag. With the child’s head too close to the airbag, the effect when it inflates could actually be more detrimental than protective.

Older children

When the kids are old enough to wear standard seatbelts, keep an eye on them to make sure they don’t unbuckle themselves en route. Adult belts don’t sit across children in the same way, and everyone under the age of 12 and less than 135cm tall must use a child seat or booster seat.

Keep kids entertained

Longer car journeys are all the more bothersome when your kids are bored or quarrelsome. One sure-fire way to get them into the car without a fuss, is to keep a Box of Distractions in back of your car with reading material, soft toys, extra blankets, pens and paper, and possibly a few magnetic travel games or handheld consoles to keep your little darlings busy and comfortable.

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If you’d like any more advice or to pick out a child-friendly car, please come to your closest Lookers dealership. We’ll advise on the best models to suit you and your family.