Preventing Child Injuries: Car Seat Safety 101
When people are injured in Bradenton automobile accidents, personal injury attorneys often fight to get them the compensation they deserve for their injuries. Injuries are usually measured in medical bills, physical injuries, automobile damages, and lost wages from work. Sadly, nothing is more terrifying than an injury to a child, which can have lifelong repercussions. With so many vehicles carrying young children to and from school, soccer practice, and church every day, it is important to do everything you can to prevent avoidable car seat injuries.
Automobile Child Safety
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), each year, over 127,000 children are seriously injured in automobile accidents, and 618,000 children ride in a vehicle without a car seat or booster. Therefore, with the rising number of car accidents every year and the alarming number of children injured, it is imperative to make sure children are properly buckled up.
Choosing the Right Seat
One of the easiest ways to ensure child safety in the car is to pick the right car seat. The four basic types of car seats are listed below, along with a brief description.
- Rear-facing infant seats: Designed to provide the maximum protection for small children under 2 years old.
- Front-facing seats: Designed for small children who have outgrown their rear-facing seats but still require a complete car seat system.
- Convertibles: Designed to “grow” with the child. Many convertibles are rear-facing and work well for young infants but may be turned around to face forward as the child grows.
- Boosters: Once a toddler has grown to a point where a traditional car seat is too small, a booster may be necessary. These seats merely provide added support and a harness strap to prevent shoulder and chest injuries caused by shoulder and lap belts.
For a more comprehensive list of requirements and useful charts to help you select the right seat for your children, based on size and age, check out Safecar.gov.
Proper Installation is Crucial
You may have the best car seat available, but if it is improperly installed then it can be even more dangerous than no car seat at all. In the Hillsborough County area, there are many wonderful resources to help parents properly install their car seats. Click here to find a car seat safety inspection station near you.
Every year, small children are injured or killed in car collisions. In many cases, the cause is nothing more than improper car seat selection or installation. Bradenton personal injury attorneys at the Romero Law Firm frequently see the devastating results of car accidents and child injuries. If you or someone you love is injured in a motor vehicle accident, contact an experienced professional who cares.
