As the lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer come to a close, your focus is likely shifting to school supplies and class schedules. One of the most common back-to-school routines is carpooling, and our Subaru dealer near Summit is happy to provide you with some helpful tips to make the process that much safer and simpler.

Get Your Carpool Crew Organized

We recommend keeping your kids in the know when it comes to the daily carpool. Remind them who is picking them up and dropping them off – this is particularly important when getting into a new routine at the beginning of the school year. As far as staying in touch with other parents, take a look at the following hints for keeping your carpool group cohesive.

• Get together to discuss emergency contacts, schedules, routes, and rules.
• Kids and parents should be on time, and a group text or email can help keep everyone informed of updates or changes.
• Stick to the schedule. Staying consistent with parents assigned to specific days of the week keeps things easy and can prevent potential mixups and confusion.

Staying Safe in the Car

Safety is key when driving, and Subaru offers a multitude of safety features to keep your entire carpool crew safe. EyeSight® system technology can help prevent a collision through adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist and sway warning, pre-collision braking, and pre-collision throttle management. To maximize safety, the following tips are also recommended.

• Make sure children under 4 feet, 9 inches are buckled into a booster seat and those under the age of 13 sit in the backseat.
• Follow traffic laws and pay attention to crossing guards and carpool-line monitors.
• Keep your car in Park until your carpool group is safely inside with seatbelts fastened.

Dropping Off and Picking Up

Drop-off and pickup can require some additional organization, especially for children.

• Have children enter and exit the vehicle from the curbside.
• Don’t drive distracted. Kids are counting on your to get them to and from; make sure that you are focused and not answering your phone or changing a song.
• Do a double-check of the backseat for any belongings that may have been left behind.

Let Subaru of Morristown help keep your carpool safe and organized when driving around Summit this fall. For questions about available safety features, don’t hesitate to contact us today.