carpooling tips

The new school year is in full swing, which means that carpooling to and from school as well as to different events is a reality to a lot of kids as well as working adults right now. So to make sure you stay safe during your carpools weather you are diving the car or you are the passenger in one, read these carpool safety tips and tricks.

Carpooling is a great idea for anyone and everyone, because it not only will help you save money on gas as well as car servicing costs, since you will not be using your car all the time, but it will also let you leave a slightly smaller impact on the environment, since you will be reducing the air pollution by in stead of two or three cars, taking just one. On top of that carpooling also is know to reduce traffic since there will be less cars on the road and there fore smaller traffic congestion on the road. But there also are some safety risks regarding carpooling, which means that you need to take action in order to make sure that your carpool in the safest it can be.

If you are a part of you neighborhood’s school carpooling scheme, that means that you will be driving with kids in the car, which is a whole different carpooling experience in itself. When you have kids in the car you need to prepare for it. This preparation includes packing your car with things like snacks, toys, medicine and such, depending of what are the ages of the children that will be carpooling with you, so you are ready for every situation. On top of that things like child car seats are a must if the children need them, so you need to coordinate with the other parents and install them before time, so there isn’t a delay in the morning. And lastly also you need to make sure that you know how to navigate the often busy and hectic school zone where you will most likely be dropping off and picking up your kids. Drive slowly, be aware of your surroundings and don’t take your attention off the road even for a second, because it takes only a second for a kid to run in front of a car and for an accident to happen.

carpooling with kids

But if the carpooling is with your coworkers, then it is a whole different type or carpooling. Since your coworkers are adults, you don’t need to worry about things like child seats or toys. However, you should keep your car clean as well as fresh smelling, since it will provide that the carpooling experience will be enjoyable for everyone. Also it is a good idea to keep a bottle of water in your car, especially if your carpool takes more than 10 minutes, because you never know when someone of the car will become thirsty or don’t feel that well. And lastly also make sure that everyone who take part in the carpooling knows and understands the way you split the costs and why they are that specific number, because that will make sure that at the end of the day everyone will be paying the amount that is fare and that no one will be upset that they overpaid.

Then when it comes to the way how to set up the carpool, you need to set a schedule and make sure that everyone who is a part of the carpooling scheme knows that they need to stick to it and inform others when they cannot make it or when they will be late. Also set he specific days when each carpooling party will be the driver and what route you each will take, so that there are no surprises and no misunderstandings. And lastly also establish an so called in-car etiquette and respect it, because there is nothing worse than being stuck in a car were the person next to you is eating food, which smell you hate, or listening the music so loud that your ear drums are about to burst.

Billy Miller
Latest posts by Billy Miller (see all)