Studies show that, annually, there are an estimated 130,000 children treated for injuries sustained from car seats under the age of 13-years-old. These emergency room visits are often following a car accident, with injuries that may have been lessened or entirely prevented had the parents been properly educated on car seat safety. When surveyed, nearly one in three doctors in various ERs will report that their emergency departments don’t have any resources for educating parents on this imperative measure for child safety. This research suggests that ERs are given the opportunity to educate the public on car seat safety and yet, they are not being educated on these methods themselves.
A clinical lecturer at the department of emergency medicine at the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, and lead author of the study, Dr. Michelle Macy, claims that most doctors in the emergency departments are not educated on the proper safety measures needed for car seats and child passenger safety overall. They lack the knowledge of the important resources that they can point the parents to in order to prevent accidents and spread knowledge for the future. Macy speaks of the fact that many times, when these parents bring their children in for care, the kids are quickly treated and sent on their way without obtaining any helpful sources for safety implementation in the future. Dr. Macy then addresses that, specifically when a child is treated for an emergency injury by a person without specific pediatric training, the parents are even less likely to receive any education on safety practices for car seats. This would account for about 85% of all emergency child treatments who are sent to general care practitioners rather than pediatricians.
Implementing Safety for Your Child’s Car Seat
In the event of a car accident, it is very likely that your car seat will no longer be able to provide the necessary safety for the child. According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are guidelines that are essential for car seats, namely when it is time to replace an old seat after being involved in an accident. These include:
- No passengers were injured in the crash
- No airbags deployed on impact
- The vehicle was safe to drive after the accident
- There were no intrusions of the vehicle around the car seat
If all of the above are true of the car after an accident, your car seat is generally considered to be safe for further use; however, it is also important to follow the guidelines given on the car seats in order to ensure your children are as safe as possible. Implementing child car seat safety is absolutely essential, and the emergency rooms ought to have these resources widely available. By a parent receiving education on the matter, the children will reap the benefits by having their lives well protected. The NHTSA reminds parents of a few necessities when traveling with young children:
- If your child’s age requires a car seat, make sure you use them no matter how far you are traveling
- Follow the strict standards for the height, weight, age given by the car seat manufacturer for your children
- Make sure that your car seat is compatible with your vehicle model
- Any child under the age of 12 needs to ride in the backseat for further protection
How a Houston Car Accident Lawyer Can Help You
Sadly, car accidents are the leading cause of fatalities in children who are under the age of 4 years old; and in many cases these accidents kill them because the children were improperly restrained (or not at all) within the vehicle. Believe it or not, half of these deaths were caused by children and infants who were not using the recommended child passenger restraint that is necessary for their age group. Every year there about 700,000 children who are injured in a car accident across the United States, and per year there is an estimated 2,000 child fatalities as a result of these accidents. In the event the children survive these car accidents, they can still sustain severe and life-altering injuries, some of which can lead to disabilities. These include brain injuries, paralysis and broken bones.
Due to the importance of a car seat, if your product is not up to standard or there is a malfunction, your child may become part of this devastating statistic. As parents, it is your responsibility to make sure you are providing your children with the safest traveling environment possible; however, when a car seat is defective, that ability to do so has been greatly compromised. In the event a defective car seat has led to the injury or death of your child, you need a car accident lawyer. Contact de Lachica Law Firm today for the Houston car accident lawyer you deserve. If the car accident itself was caused by the negligent actions of another driver on the road, we will seek to prove their responsibility for the crash and fight for the rightful compensation you deserve. Whatever the cause of your children’s injury may have been, at de Lachica Law Firm, they are committed to providing our clients with the legal care that they deserve. Contact them today for more information and they will begin discussing the details of your possible claim.