As a parent or a caregiver, it is your sole duty to ensure children are properly buckled up whenever you drive. Unfortunately, most neglect this duty and drive with unrestrained children, increasing fatality and injury risk in case of an accident.
According to the CDC, 607 children lost their lives, while more than 63,000 were injured in road accidents. Nearly 38 percent of these fatalities involved children that were not buckled up.
Therefore, adults with children below 12 should ensure that children are properly restrained in the vehicle. They need to be buckled up in a seat suitable for their age, weight, and height.
With this in mind, here are some guidelines to help you choose the appropriate seat for your child.
Rear-Facing Car seats
Rear-facing car seats are safest for toddlers under four to ride in vehicles. Such seats will absorb any impact forces and support the child’s head, neck, and spine. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents to let children ride in these seats as long as possible, provided they meet the seat requirements.
Forward-Facing Car seats
Once a child outgrows the rear-facing seats, they transition to the forward-facing seats. Always place these seats in the back seat, as airbag deployment could harm a child when they are in the front seat. Finally, ensure that your child meets the minimum weight and height requirements for this seat.
Booster Seats
Older children between 9-12 years are buckled up in a booster seat. Always ensure that the seat belt fits properly. The lap belt should run across the upper thighs, while the shoulder belt should run through the center of the shoulder.
Seat belt fits will vary from vehicle to vehicle. Therefore, a child who does not need a booster seat in one vehicle might need it in another. Before driving, check to confirm that the seat belt properly fits.
Safety Tips for Parents and Guardians
Before strapping your child in, ensure that the car seat or the booster seat is properly fixed. Researchers have proved that 46 percent of car and booster seats are incorrectly used, reducing their effectiveness. This increases the risk factor in children by 59 percent compared to when absent.
Here are some errors to avoid
- Improper shoulder or lap belt position in booster seater for older children
- Incorrect recline angle for rear-facing seats
- Loose installation of car seats
- Wrong placement of harness in forward-facing seats
- Loose harness for all car seats
- Placing children’s seats in the front seat
- Buckling children next on the seat next to the door. Place their seats in the middle of the back seat to reduce impact in T-bone crashes
- Failing to buckle up children in short-distance drives
Conclusion
Always remember that child restraint laws require all children passengers in vehicles to be buckled up with the right restraint for their age and weight. Parents and guardians should not rush to transition their children from one type of seat to another. Only transition children when they have fully outgrown one type of seat.
Parents are advised to adhere to the existing rules as the CDC continues to improve child passenger safety standards. They should get specialists to help them install child seats to increase their efficiency.
“If you or your child is injured from an accident due to someone else’s negligence, you can hire an attorney to help you claim compensation for financial and property losses due to the crash,” says attorney Lawrence Buckfire of Buckfire Law.
