Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog
Safe Kids recently teamed up with officials from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to push this year’s Child Passenger Safety Week.
The goal of this year’s campaign is to make sure that parents and guardians are not only buckling in their kids during every car ride, but that they’re doing so properly. According to a recently-released survey from the NHTSA, about 20 percent of parents are using these devices incorrectly.
“The key to keeping kids safe is to make sure your child is in the right seat for their age and size – and to make sure that the seat is correctly installed in your vehicle,” said USDOT Secretary Ray LaHood.
Our Braintree injury lawyers understand the risks that children face when involved in car accidents. The risks they face increase significantly when parents neglect to buckle them in properly. You are the saving grace for these young passengers. Make sure you understand how your child car seat works, how to properly buckle your child.
The study revealed five common mistakes that parents and guardians are making when installing car seats and buckling in kids. These mistakes could wind up costing your child their life in the event of an accident.
Common Child Car Seat Mistakes:
-Oftentimes parents use the wrong harness slot. Parents are positioning these straps either too low or too high on the seat.
-Parents weren’t placing the chest clip in the right spot. It should fall across the abdomen and not the chest.
-When buckling in a child, they need to be secure. Too many parents are leaving too much slack between the harness strap and the child. There shouldn’t be any slack.
-Parents weren’t buckling in the seat tightly. There should never be more than an inch of slack when buckled in properly.
-Seat belts for kids need to fit properly. Too many parents were leaving the seat belt near the child’s neck or face.
During Child Passenger Safety Week, events will be held throughout the country to make sure that parents have the resources available to them to properly buckled in kids. Make sure you listen up and take advantage of the resources available to make sure your kid is safe during each car ride. These young passengers rely on you!
If parents were to properly learn how to use these devices, hundreds of young passenger lives could be saved. In the meantime, parents are asked to stop in at one of Massachusetts’ Child Car Seat Inspection locations to have a trained professional double check the use of your car seat and properly install it for you if necessary.
Contact Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers for a free confidential consultation to discuss your rights. Call 877-617-5333 today!
More Blog Entries:
Are You Seating Your Child Properly in A Car Seat?, Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, August 23, 2012