You’re driving along the motorway and briefly glance at your toddler in the rear-view mirror – what you see staring back at you makes your heart leap into your mouth.
Your child has somehow unbuckled their car seat harness and is slowly pulling their arms from the straps. You have a very small window of time before they are climbing out of that seat and coming for you.
When toddlers finally figure out how to unbuckle themselves from their car seat, this is a reality many parents are faced with.
And while it might be tempting to tape up the buckle or modify it in some way (for example, turning the buckle around or putting a cover over it) so they can’t do it again, it’s not a wise move according to breakdown experts at AA.
This is because the belt needs to be able to release quickly and easily in an emergency so any modifications make the situation unsafe.
“At worst this could be with a car upside down in a ditch at night, with access at arm’s length through a window, or by a person in shock and unfamiliar with the car seat,” reads guidance from the company.
The buckle cannot be hidden, must be obvious and accessible and mustn’t require a large force to release it.
Using a different car seat might work for a short period of time, but chances are your child will figure out how to unbuckle it soon enough.
So what can parents do to stop this happening – especially as being caught with a child whose seatbelt isn’t fastened carries a hefty fine (up to £500)? Not to mention it being a major safety risk.
Firstly, if your child undoes their seat belt or harness while the car is moving, you – or whoever is driving – should pull over as soon as it is safe to do so, then you can strap them back in.
Gary Digva, a road safety expert at Snooper, says: “Parents should explain to their kids how important seatbelts are to their safety and warn them that there can be severe consequences if they remove them.”
According to advice from AA, parents should tell their child there’s nothing to be gained by releasing the buckle. You can do this by showing that the car doesn’t go if the belt’s undone.
If you’re going somewhere they’re excited to visit – for example, a party, seeing friends/family or going to the zoo – you can tell them you won’t get there if they don’t keep their belt fastened.
The best thing you can do to stop your child from undoing buckles is by distracting them, experts agree.
“Consider taking some toys, a book or an electronic device in the car to keep them distracted, but if that is not working, another adult should remain in the back seat to stop them from releasing them,” says Digva.
And after the novelty of being able to break free from their car seat has worn off, they’ll likely move onto the next thing they absolutely should not be doing.