Pedal Car Safety

Pedal cars are extremely popular with both children and adults and have been manufactured for decades. Of course, when they first appeared less attention was paid to the safety of the child. These days even reproduction pedal cars are produced with safety very much in mind.

If you’re offered or want to buy a genuine vintage pedal car remember that the condition of the car is very important when it comes to safety. Also the paint used on them may be lead-based, which not a good thing around children.

When letting your child loose in any pedal car the most important thing to remember is that they don’t have brakes so don’t let your children use them on a slope. On a hill the car can quickly gather speed and get too fast to stop in a safe manner.

Also make sure there’s no water around, be it a pond or a pool that a child can accidentally drive into.

Because of the open nature of the under part of the car always ensure your child is wearing shoes. Loose clothing could also get trapped in the moving parts so either remove the item or secure it. Getting your child to wear a helmet is a very good idea.

The design of pedal cars means that they are very low to the ground. This makes them hard to spot especially when in a vehicle. Take extra care when backing in and out of your driveway if there’s any possibility that your child may be playing in their car.

However tempting it is, don’t push the car and don’t let other children push the pedal car with your child in it. It’s too easy to push faster than the child’s feet can pedal. In this situation the feet can slip off the pedals and become entangled in the pedal mechanism.

Pedal cars are a lot of fun and are very safe as long as common sense is used. Make sure children know what they shouldn’t do and why they shouldn’t do it and your children will have years of happy, safe play ahead of them.

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