No road traffic collision is an experience you ever want to go through or replicate, but it becomes so much worse with a child, or children, in the car. Checking after them will often be a higher priority than you own health, even if you’ve only suffered a light bump.
Thankfully, if secured well then baby seats and children’s seats can absorb a good amount of the impact, and seatbelts can keep them secure. However, as you go through the motions of ensuring your loved ones are okay, helping them settle down, overcome their shakiness, and keep them confident about returning back into the car will be a necessary effort.
In this post, we intend to help you achieve that necessary outcome. However, first, you have to accept that the collision wasn’t your fault and that you’re not a worse parent for having gone through this, even if guilt can be with you.
Without further ado, please consider:
Give Them Time To Calm Down Before Anything Else
It’s instinct to want to explain what just happened when you know everything is safe, so reassure them if you can. Try to smooth it over, but remember that the first few minutes after a crash are more about presence than words. Children will usually look to the adults in the car to figure out if they should be panicked or not. If you can be peaceful, they’ll usually reflect it, as they’re processing something that shook them in ways they don’t quite have the language for.
There’s no real script for what to say. Just staying close, keeping your voice steady, and letting them feel held for a moment can be enough to know you’re safe and there.
Be Mindful Of Emotional Delays
Not everything shows up straight away, as any medical professional or accident lawyer will be able to tell you. A child might seem completely fine that afternoon, and then the next day they don’t want to get in the car, as is understandable. They might keep asking if you’re going to crash again. It doesn’t mean anything is wrong with them, it just takes time for them to get over something like that.
You might notice they get clingy or frustrated more easily, or they have a hard time settling down at night. They might not even talk about the accident directly, but the signs are there in small ways, so just keeping a quiet eye out for that is often enough. You don’t need to make a big deal of it. Just offer comfort when it’s needed and keep things as steady as possible around them, and before long they’ll be back to normal. If not, you can talk to your child’s doctor to make certain recovery pathways are considered.
Keep Normal Journeys Feeling Normal
You might not feel ready to drive again, and that’s understandable, but when the time does come, it helps if those first few car trips aren’t loaded with tension. Take short, simple drives which can gently rebuild a sense of normality, such as going for a food treat, the school run or grocery shopping.
If your child is nervous, you can be empathetic to that without making it the focus of everything. Letting them know you’re driving carefully and you’re paying attention is usually enough. Comforts help even in adulthood, but for kids you could let them bring a favourite toy, or put on music they like, just to create a little pocket of comfort inside the car, and if they need a few days before they’re willing to hop in again, that’s okay too.
With this advice, we hope you can help you soothe your child if experiencing a non-serious road traffic collision.
