Child Car Seat Requirements
Motor vehicle injuries are the number one public health problem faced by children today. In fact, they are the leading cause of death among children at every age after their first birthday. Having a child restraint device is not enough; these should be properly installed and used.
Do you have the proper child car seat requirements in your car? Has your child been injured due to improper child restraints? If so, contact one of our car accident attorneys in your area today!
The following are facts that depict the occurrence and consequences of the lack of or misuse of child restraints:
- In 2000, 1,471 children between 0 and 14 died in motor vehicle crashes in the United States, and over 250,000 sustained emergency room injuries. Many of these injuries were preventable.
- Of all the child passengers between 0 and 12 years killed in motor vehicle accidents in 1999-2000, 52% were unrestrained, 35% were riding in the front seat, and 18% were incorrectly restrained.
- Only less than 10% of children between 5 and 8 year use booster seats, the recommended safety seat for this group.
- About 75% of children between the ages of 1 and 4 who ride with a driver that is unrestrained are also unrestrained.
- A lot of children passengers in child safety seats are not properly secured. A survey of nearly 6,000 children discovered that only about 21% of them were correctly harnessed into correctly installed seats that were correctly installed.
There are also a number of risk factors associated with child passengers. Since they are not the ones driving, they are basically subjected to an adult’s judgment. In fact, twenty percent of all deaths among children between 0 and 14 years involved a drinking driver. Even worse, almost two thirds of these fatally injured children were riding with drivers under the influence. This shows that, regardless of how secure a child is while riding in a car, it is still in danger of suffering an injury.
Do you have the proper child car seat requirements in your car? Has your child been injured due to improper child restraints? If so, contact one of our car accident lawyers in your area today!
Child Car Seat Requirements:
Proper Child Safety Seat Use Chart
Buckle Every Child Aged 12 and Under in the Back!
|
|
INFANTS |
TODDLER |
YOUNG CHILDREN |
WEIGHT |
Birth to 1 year
at least 20-22 lbs. |
Over 1 year and
Over 20 lbs.-40 lbs. |
Over 40 lbs.
Ages 4-8, unless 4'9''. |
TYPE of SEAT |
Infant only or rear-facing convertible |
Convertible / Forward-facing |
Belt positioning booster seat |
SEAT POSITION |
Rear-facing only |
Forward-facing |
Forward-facing |
ALWAYS MAKE SURE: |
Children to one year and at least 20 lbs. in rear-facing seats
Harness straps at or below shoulder level |
Harness straps should be at or above shoulders
Most seats require top slot for forward-facing |
Belt positioning booster seats must be used with both lap and shoulder belt.
Make sure the lap belt fits low and tight across the lap/upper thigh area and the shoulder belt fits snug crossing the chest and shoulder to avoid abdominal injuries |
WARNING |
All children age 12 and under should ride in the back seat |
All children age 12 and under should ride in the back seat |
All children age 12 and under should ride in the back seat |
Do you have the proper child car seat requirements in your car? Has your child been injured due to improper child restraints? If so, contact one of our car accident attorneys in your area today!
Updated: JBZ
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Do you have the proper child car seat requirements in your car? Has your child been injured due to improper child restraints? If so, contact one of our car accident lawyers in your area today!
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