School Carpooling Safety Tips for Parents and Drivers

Even though many kids carpool or take the bus to school, there are certain situations where a child can’t ride the bus or the bus schedule doesn’t fit into the family’s lifestyle. Either way, there are other options available to parents, such as driving your own child or partaking in a carpool.

Creating a school carpooling group with other parents whose children aren’t using school transportation can be an excellent way to save on gas, reduce driving time, and ensure your child gets to school safely. However, driving kids to school or practice comes with added responsibility. 

One way to ensure parents practice safe driving is for the group to agree to use an app like Life360, which shows the vehicle’s location and driving habits. 

The following guide will provide safety tips for drivers and for parents looking to utilize a carpool to transport their children to and from school or extracurricular activities. 

Safety Tips for Choosing a Carpool

Permitting someone else to drive your children can be stressful, especially when you’ve always been behind the wheel. However, there are several safety tips your carpool can follow to help give each parent peace of mind knowing their kid is safe. 

1. Establish Expectations 

When creating a carpool, it’s important to establish all expectations ahead of time. A general agreement among parents in the carpool can help eliminate arguments and stressful situations later. Here are a few expectations you should iron out with other carpool members:

• What time will each child be picked up
• Where should they wait for the carpool driver
• How much notice should the driver provide the group if they can’t make it

2. Lay the Ground Rules for all Drivers

Everyone has their preferences regarding music, seat belts, and driving habits. However, having a discussion early on with all drivers will ensure everyone is on the same page. For instance, all parents might agree that drivers should keep music to a minimum or at least keep it low when driving for the carpool. 

It’s also important to discuss safety habits with the group. Ensuring everyone understands that all kids must wear seat belts and that there’s to be no speeding can provide structure for the carpool. 

3. Utilize Technology to Reassure Parents

Many parents are understandably nervous about others driving their children, so solutions like Life360 can be a great tool. With a location-sharing app, all parents will have access to the vehicle’s location and get alerts when the car arrives at designated areas. 

Life360 also provides SOS alerts with emergency dispatch that makes getting help easier if there is an accident or something happens on the way to school. 

Safety Tips for Carpool Drivers

Drivers have the most responsibility out of anyone in the carpool and should take their duty seriously. Even if a driver might speed a little or answer a text when kids aren’t in the vehicle, they must practice safe driving behavior when it’s time to transport the children. Here are several safety tips all carpool drivers should follow:

• Regardless of what kids say, enforce a strict seat belt policy
• Put your cell phone on silent or turn it off to avoid the possibility of looking at it
• Keep all music to a minimum and avoid loud sounds
• Establish a no roughhousing in the car rule for all carpool children
• Use Life360 to monitor driving behavior

Build a Safe Carpooling Experience with Life360 

Carpooling is an excellent way for parents to balance school transportation with other commitments. Even though trusting someone else with your child’s safety may be stressful, there are ways to stay connected with your child and the carpool driver through technology like Life360. 

Try Life360 today and see how it can benefit your carpool experience.