Child Safety Seats Save Lives. Follow these Steps to Ensure that Your Child is as Safe as She can be While Riding in Your Car.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration publishes data and statistics on occupant protection as it relates to children, among many other useful facts. The leading cause of death among children ages 3 to 14 is car crashes. In 2008, 1,347 children died in car crashes, but those numbers are declining due to the increased use of child safety seats and increased awareness by parents. NHTSA estimates that nearly 9,000 children's lives were saved between 1975 and 2008 due to child restraints.

Recently, NHTSA issued new guidelines on car seat recommendations. For the first time ever, it recommended that children as old as 12 years old remain in some type of booster seat. In fact, age is not the dominating factor. The child's size, weight, and body geometry in conjunction with the seat should determine when a child is ready to ride in a vehicle without a child safety seat.

NHTSA now recommends that infants up to the age of 3 should remain in rear-facing safety seats, assuming that they are not too large for the convertible car seat. Children ages 4 to 7 should remain in forward-facing car seats with a 5-point restraint, or until they reach the top height or weight limit allowed by the car seat's manufacturer. You should keep your child in a booster seat from age 8 to 12 years old or until she is able to fit in a seat belt properly. For a seat belt to fit properly, the lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs, NOT the stomach and the shoulder harness should lie snug across the shoulder and chest and NOT cross the neck or face.

ALL CHILDREN UNDER 13 SHOULD RIDE IN THE BACK SEAT.

If your child is embarrased about riding in a booster seat, tell her that her safety and health is more important than her reputation among her friends. Board Certified Personal Injury Attorneys Tony Denena and Chad Points are experienced in handling cases involving children injured by defective car seats. Call us at 877.307.9500 if you have any questions about child safety seats or would like to discuss your case.


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