Keeping Children Safe in Car Seats

Although car seats have been keeping our children safe for decades, The New York Times reports that it continues to remain a “vexing safety issue” because many families are still unable to figure out how to install them correctly. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) three out of four car seats are not installed properly. In some communities that figure is even higher because of the lack of safety checks and educational programs.

Significant Number of Car Seat Fatalities
Federal regulators say car crashes continue to be the leading cause of death for children 13 and younger. A large number of young children die every year in the United States as a result of defective or improperly installed car seats. Deaths of children in car seats fell from 614 in 2002 to 397 in 2011. However, auto safety experts say that those numbers could be even lower if car seats become easier to use and if manufacturers provide better instructions.
Regulators have attempted to take steps in that direction. In 2000, NHTSA phased in a latch system that allows car seats to be secured to anchors in a vehicle’s seats in addition to looping a seat belt through the car seat. NHTSA also started publishing child seat ratings based on safety standards as well as simplicity of use. Still, experts are finding that many parents only use seatbelts to secure the car seats.
What Can Parents Do?
Here are a few tips for proper car seat use:
• Infants should always be placed in a rear-facing car seat until they weigh 20 pounds or reach 1 year of age.
• The belt on the car seat should be fastened at chest level.
• Never put an infant in the front seat of a vehicle that has a passenger side airbag.
• Check the weight restrictions on infant carriers. Some have a maximum weight limit of 15 pounds, which many infants will outgrow before they turn one.
• A car seat must be thrown out when it is older than five years old.
• Children should remain in booster seats until they are 57 inches tall and weigh between 80 and 100 pounds.
Compensation for Accident Victims
If you or a loved one has been injured or if you have lost a loved one in a car accident, the experienced NY personal injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Kenneth A. Wilhelm can help you better understand your legal rights and options. Our law firm recently recovered $5,600,000 and $2,550,000 for two victims of car accidents.
Please contact us TOLL FREE 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at 1-800-WORK-4-YOU (1-800-967-5496). WE CAN EVEN COME TO YOU. There is no attorneys’ fee unless we recover money for you. We can also help with personal injury cases in New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, or Florida. If you have been seriously injured in any of the 50 U.S. states, please call us and we will try to help you with your case.
Other TOLL FREE phone numbers for us are:
1-800-RADIO-LAW, 1-888-WYPADEK, OR 1-800-LAS-LEYES
Please visit us at: www.WORK4YOULAW.com
Source: The New York Times