Though garage doors are often out of sight and out of mind, that doesn’t mean they don’t pose some serious dangers for children. Kids often have playful urges to climb on objects and tamper with devices they shouldn’t. When it comes to the garage door, it’s important to prevent this kind of high-risk behavior. Luckily, you can avoid these dangers by educating kids about garage door safety.
When you teach your children about garage doors and how to interact with them, you significantly reduce the risk of harm. You can also consider childproofing your garage door to eliminate safety hazards further. Learn how to educate kids about garage door safety today!
Use the video below to start the conversation with your kids about garage door safety!
Table of Contents
10 Garage Door Safety Lessons for Kids
When it comes to garage door safety for children, there are many essential lessons you can use to teach your kids about the dos and don’ts of interacting with the garage door. Talk to your child and give them the rundown on what to know, avoid and look out for in the garage.
1. Understand How the Garage Door Works
Go through and explain what each part of the garage door is and how it works. Be sure to discuss the basic functions and purposes of different components like the garage door opener, remote, track, photo eyes, hinges and operator rail. When your child learns how these parts work, they will have a greater understanding of the garage door and its inner workings as a whole.
2. Steer Clear of the Moving Door
Be sure to explain to your kids that the garage door is not a fun moving obstacle to navigate. When the garage door is opening or closing, it’s important for your children to stay a safe distance away in case anything malfunctions.
3. Do Not Climb or Hang on the Garage Door
Garage doors have reinforcement struts on the underside of each door. These may entice your children to get up and climb due to their resemblance to a ladder. Make sure to warn them to stay away from these fixtures.
4. Don’t Mess With the Controls
Exercise garage door safety for children by keeping the remote out of reach of younger kids. Children love pushing buttons and watching things move, but they should not have access to the garage door opener or keypad. Your garage door is serious machinery that only you or another adult should operate.
5. Keep Away From the Spring System
It’s good to know what kind of spring system your garage door has so you can point it out to your kids. Torsion springs are generally located over the garage door, whereas extension springs can be found above the horizontal tracks.
Once you determine which kind of springs you have in your garage, point them out to your kids and explain that they should never be touched. You can even tell them to alert an adult if they notice any broken springs.
6. Do Not Tinker With Lifting Cables
Lifting cables live on either side of the garage door and help it to raise and lower. Be sure to identify these cables to your kids and explain that they are under a lot of pressure and are not to be tampered with.
7. Do Not Touch Panel Joints
If your garage door is manually operated, you should be aware of the panel joints that lie in between the sections of your door. Enforce garage door safety by showing your child how to safely open and close the door while cautioning them to keep their fingers away from the joints.
8. Alert Someone of Missing or Broken Parts
After you’ve educated your kids about the many mechanical components of your garage door, tell them to alert an adult if they notice that any parts appear to be missing or broken. That way, you make arrangements to repair the damaged pieces before anyone is harmed.
9. Don’t Share the Garage Access Code
If your child knows your garage door access code, emphasize the importance of keeping that information confidential between only you and your family members. Caution your kids to avoid sharing your access code with any of their friends so that no one invites themselves in when your family is out and about. This reduces the risk of accidents occurring with other children.
10. Ask Older Children to Take Charge
If you have older kids, assign them the responsibility of enforcing garage door safety with their younger siblings. Ask them to intervene if they notice their brothers or sisters playing with the garage door.
Make Your Garage Door Kid-Safe
Now that you’ve learned how to educate your kids on garage door safety, it’s time to go the extra mile by childproofing your garage door. There are many measures you can take to properly childproof your garage, such as:
- Repair or replace garage doors as needed
- Hire licensed contractors to perform repairs and installations
- Buy a high-quality garage door
- Keep the garage door remote out of reach
- Perform regular garage door maintenance
- Check safety features regularly
- Raise your wall-mounted garage door opener out of reach of children
- Lock the garage door
- Make sure the auto-reverse and sensors are in working order
- Buy a stronger door frame or insulated garage door
If you’re dedicated to following these steps, you can rest easy knowing you’ve taken all of the necessary precautions to childproof your garage door while also teaching your kids garage door safety.
Childproof Your Garage Door at Easy Open Door
Our family-owned garage door installation and repair service has been in business for almost 40 years and counting in the San Deigo area. We have the knowledge and expertise to perform the high-quality services you need to maintain and secure your garage door. We offer a one-year labor warranty on all doors and openers and we take care of all claims for our customers, so you know you’re in good hands.
Get started with us by requesting an estimate or go straight to our service form to schedule one of our garage door services today.
