Posted in Car Accident,Personal Injury,Tennessee Accident Law on November 12, 2015
Safety Check Finds Majority of Parents Install Child Car Seats Incorrectly
A child seat car inspection in New York State found that out of 931 car seats that were checked at a recent state-run safety event, only 112 were installed correctly.
According to a report by Claims Journal, errors ranged from using car seats that didn’t fit children properly to using car seats that didn’t properly secure the child or weren’t positioned correctly inside the seat or the vehicle itself.
When car seats are used for infants and small children, the risk of them suffering fatal injuries during accidents drops to 71 percent and 54 percent respectively. In addition, 96 percent of parents believe their car seats are installed correctly, but in fact 70 percent of children ride in car seats that don’t properly restrain them.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a database of child car seat inspection locations that Tennessee residents can use to schedule an appointment with a certified technician to find out how to properly install and use car seats for infants and children of all ages.
How Can You Tell if Your Child’s Safety Seat is Installed Correctly?
Keeping your children safe in your vehicle is your top priority every time you get behind the wheel. But placing them in a car seat isn’t always enough to protect them from harm. For car seats and booster seats to be truly effective, they must be age and weight appropriate as well as installed correctly in your vehicle.
Check out the tips below to make sure your child is receiving the protection he or she needs every time you head out on the roadways in Middle Tennessee:
Newborn infants all the way up to children 2 years old should be placed in rear-facing car seats in the backseat of your vehicle.
Children between 2 years and old 5 years old can be placed in standard, forward-facing car seats in your vehicle’s backseat.
Children who are 5 years of age or older and who have outgrown car seats should be placed in forward-facing booster seats in your vehicle’s backseat. Make sure to always buckle the booster seat in properly before starting your vehicle.
Children who no longer fit comfortably in booster seats or who have grown to fit comfortable with standard-sized seat belts can ride in the back seat of your vehicle without the aid of any additional safety devices. However, always make sure your vehicle’s seat belts fit properly not just along your child’s upper thighs (instead of the stomach), but also the chest (instead of the neck).
All children regardless of their size should ride in the back seat. Airbags can be extremely dangerous in the event of an accident to young children, as their bodies are still developing and they are more likely to be injured by airbags than adults.
At Matt Hardin Law, our Nashville auto accident attorneys know that children are much less likely to be injured or killed during car accidents if they are properly restrained via the use of a rear-facing car seat, a forward-facing car seat, a booster seat, or a seat belt. All occupants of vehicles should be restrained at all times, but parents should take extra care and caution to make sure their children are restrained properly according to their age, height, and weight.
If you or someone you love was injured in an auto accident caused by a negligent or careless driver, you may be eligible to receive compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, vehicle repair costs, lost quality of life, and more. Get in touch with our legal team today. We have two decades of experiencing assisting families like yours during difficult times, and we’re ready to fight for your rights. Dial (615) 200-1111 or completing a free online consultation form.
