Protect Your Children
As an Arizona car accident attorney, I have represented hundreds of children who have been injured in car accidents. Car accidents are still the leading cause of death among children. This is why it is so important to seat children in the appropriate child safety seat. But this is just the first step. The U.S. Department of Transportation says that nearly seventy-three percent of child safety seats are being improperly used, thus endangering the lives of the children in those seats.
Here's how to make sure you are using your child safety seats properly:
The first step is to determine what is the correct safety seat for your child. This is dependent on your youngster's age and/or weight. Before children are one-year-old or weigh 20 pounds, they should be fitted in a rear-facing seat with a five-point harness system to hold them securely in the seat. Once children reach the age of one or the weight of 20 pounds, they can be switched to a convertible forward-facing seat. This seat should also have a five-point safety harness.
By age four or at 40 pounds, you will want to seat your child in a booster seat. This seat should have both a lap and shoulder belts and should be used until your child is age eight or 80 pounds, when he or she is ready to use traditional seatbelts. Finally, experts recommend that children under the age of twelve ride in the rear seat.
Failure to use the correct car seat and failure to install that seat correctly can lead to personal injuries,
catastrophic injuries,
traumatic brain injuries,
broken bones, and possibly the
wrongful death of the child. Please do everything possible to protect your children. Once you've established the right car seat and its positioning, read the instruction manuals to be sure your safety seat is properly installed. If you still have questions, contact your local police department to be certain your child's ride is as safe as possible.
If you or someone you know has small children, please forward this information to them. We don't want to see any more injuries or deaths. If your child has been seriously injured in any type of accident, please do not hesitate to call a Zanes Law personal injury attorney for help.