One of the first things that might come up when you’re discussing what you’d want your nanny to do for you in her role is the conversation about driving.
It’s no secret that kids lead incredibly busy lives full of all kinds of activities, which means they’re going to need driving around. Unless you want to be the one driving them to every school extra-mural activity or meet up with friends, you’re going to want to enable your nanny to do some of that driving for you.
This means finding the perfect vehicle that they can use, and which will allow you both the freedom you desire. This might be your own car, or a new one which you can purchase or rent for your new nanny.
Not only is the car important, but so are the parameters of how prepared you are for your nanny to be driving on the job. Read on to find some realistic tips on how to broach the subject and find a vehicle that your nanny can use to take your precious little darlings everywhere they want to go.
Should She Use Her Car or Your Car?
That really depends.
Of course, the most obvious thing that might decide this is the car your nanny drives, but you might consider how much you’d be paying to reimburse your nanny for gas and mileage. Depending on the amount of driving they do, it might just be more cost-effective for your nanny to just use your car.
If you do decide to let your nanny use their own car, there are some features you need to consider. Often, your car will be newer and safer than your nanny’s, so you’ll want to thoroughly check into the safety features and ratings of your nanny’s car before allowing them to use it. After all, it’s your precious children that they’ll be transporting, so it’s vital that you check that their vehicle is appropriate and completely safe.
What About Insurance Considerations?
You’ll naturally want to inform your insurance company that your nanny is going to be driving the car, because there are some insurance considerations, which may affect the premiums and more. The insurance company will want your nanny’s details so they can do their due diligence in checking her driving history.
Driving records, including DUIs and similar transgressions, can be found online using the services listed at publicrecordsreviews.com and your insurance company will take these into account when offering you insurance, as driving record and age are big factors in determining the cost of the insurance. In fact, you can use the site to search for a lot of relevant information.
It might also be worth telling your nanny to inquire with her insurance company about adding cover for non-owned auto endorsement, which will assist her if she needs any help from anything that might arise when using a car that isn’t hers in her job.
Safety Features You Want in a Car for Your Nanny
There might be some obvious considerations when you’re shopping for a car for your nanny, but let’s go through some of them quickly.
Crash Safety is going to be at the top of your list where it should be. You can use the safety ratings of cars as determined by independent testing authorities (like NCAP). Simply entering the car make and model will return test results and safety considerations of almost any car you can think of. You can also consider some of the in-build features you want your car to have to make you feel safe in the knowledge that wherever your nanny takes your children, they’ll be secure in their car.
Navigation aids are another thing you’ll want to consider. These are things like rear-facing cameras and reversing guidance or more advanced features like collision detection and automatic emergency braking, which can detect and warn a driver of potential collisions – or even brake automatically for them. Some newer models of car may also have camera assisted parking, which will help your nanny to avoid collisions. Don’t forget that the old staples like ABS and airbags should be non-negotiable and cars without them shouldn’t even be considered.
Next look at some of the newer safety technology that cars come equipped with. Highly technical and reliable features like electronic stability control and traction control won’t go amiss in a car that carries your most precious cargo of all. Some higher-end or more safety-focused cars might also include things like lane departure warnings, which will warn you if you stray out of your lane.
Then, once the car has been bought and the car seats have been installed properly, you’ll want to make sure that the airbag switches are all on, child safety locks are on, and any automatic window switches are disabled centrally to stop little hands getting pinched in closing windows. Don’t forget to properly adjust any seat belts too, particularly if they’re the rear shoulder belt kind.
Comfort Should Be Considered Too
Don’t just think about a car packed to the roof with safety features or by the time you’re done you might as well buy the nanny an M1 Abrahams tank to use for the school run. Don’t forget that your kids and nanny are probably going to be spending some time in this car, so you’ll want to make sure it’s at least comfortable for them. This means making an allowance for space for things like car seats in the actual car, and a trunk big enough to fit all the other things that younger kids might need like your stroller.
As you can tell after reading this, there are more considerations than you might have realized before you actually get to choose a car for your nanny. There’s no shortage of safety buzzwords and sales gimmicks in the world of automobiles, but with some research and well-considered decisions, your nanny and children will be trouble-free getting to all those play dates and extra lessons!
