A mum has posted a really important reminder to parents around the world this week, after her family was involved in a car crash: don’t leave puffy or bulky jackets on your child when strapping them into their car seat.
Aoife Flynn took to Facebook to share the warning, four weeks after she, her partner and their two young children were involved in a car crash.
Describing it as ‘the most frightening experience of her life’, Aoife recalled the details of the accident.
“A stupid 18-year-old driving way too fast on a country road lost control of his car and slammed into us. The impact was so hard that it lifted our car off the ground,” she explained.
“Carl’s quick reactions meant the car hit us side-on and not head-on. We all walked away with only some minor bruising. Most importantly, the kids (three and one) were unharmed.”
The paramedics confirmed something really, really important that Aoife admitted she already knew deep down.
“The fact they were strapped in tight without bulky jackets saved them from serious injury, or worse that I can’t bring myself to even think about. Both cars were write-offs,” she wrote.
Aoife knows that things could have worked out so differently, and knows that her family avoided possible tragedy that day. Now, she wants to share her story, to educate others about the importance of basic car safety.
She advised:
“1. Always strap your kids tightly into their car seats. They should never be able to escape the straps.
“2. Never, ever leave coats on the kids while in their car seats. No puffy jackets, no snowsuits, no body warmers. If they are cold, put a blanket on them.
“3. Rear-facing is the safest way for them to be. Davin [her son] (20 months and above average height) was rear-facing that day, and would have felt very little impact compared to Lailah, who was not rear-facing. As you can see from the picture associated with this post, she is going back rear-facing.”
After urging people to share her post and warnings with others, Aoife’s post has garnered thousands of shares.
Were you aware of this important rule of car safety? Did you suffer a similar experience as that of Aoife and her family? Let us know in the comment section, mums.
