KEEPING CHILD PASSENGERS SAFE
by Patrick Hogan
Our first impulse as parents is to keep our children safe. In fact we instinctively put their safety before our own. That’s why I was somewhat surprised to learn about some of the statistics associated with children and car seats. I started looking into it and I’d like to share what I learned.
We take our children in the car with us all the time. They have even become airline travelers. We think of them as safe because they are with us. We tend to give very little conscious thought to their special safety needs.
I recently came across a blog post, from a Florida Brain Injury Attorney. In it he discussed a C-Span forum he’d seen on the subject of child passenger safety. It included experts from agencies like the American Academy of Pediatricians, the Center for Disease Control, Highway Safety Research, and the National Transportation Safety Bureau. All are experts in their field, just the people who can back up what they’re saying.
Let me share a few of the things I learned:
- Even though the number of children killed in car accidents each year is declining, car accidents remain the leading cause of death for children ages 3 to 14, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- In 2009, more than 193,000 children under the age of 14 were seriously injured in auto accidents. A total of 1,314 did not survive their injuries.
- Your choice of car seats or child-restraint devices, along with proper installation, can have a major impact on your child’s ability to survive a car accident.
- The government’s statistics show that babies and toddlers have a better chance of survival than pre-teens. This seems to be because we just put babies and toddlers in their car seats with no discussion.
- Safety needs to be non-negotiable. Most Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is caused by violent contact with windshields, windows, or door posts and a pre-teen that’s not properly restrained is plainly at risk.
- “Safety is not negotiable,” needs to be a parent’s mantra when dealing with kids who do not want to use proper restraints.
- In about one-third of fatal accidents, a child is completely unrestrained.
- 100 percent use of child restraints would have saved the 63 children that died in 2009.
Here are a couple of pointers I’ve picked up that are important to know:
- Babies and toddlers should remain in rear-facing seats until they are at least two years old, or have reached the maximum height and weight for the seat. This information comes from a post I recently read summarizing a video child safety.
- They also recommend that older children stay in a belt-positioning booster seat until they are 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years old.
- Just purchasing the restraints is not enough. They need to be installed properly. Some local law enforcement agencies conduct voluntary inspection and assistance days. Check for one in your area.
- Additionally, be aware of wear and tear and recalls. The U.S. Department of Transportation provides a wealth of information on safety-seat ratings, proper installation and use, recalls, and other data designed to help you and your family keep your child safe from a traumatic brain injury or other trauma resulting from a car accident.