Every parent knows what it’s like to rush out the door and quickly leave the house, child in tow. When you finally make it to the car, snacks packed, shoes on, a favorite toy in hand, you quickly strap your little one into their car seat and get on your way.
But is your child properly and safely strapped in? The number one leading cause of death in children four years and older is motor vehicle accidents. Child safety seats reduce this risk of fatal injury in infants and children by up to 71% when compared with seat belts alone. To avoid the most common errors, review the following safety tips from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
5 Tips for Car Seat Safety Installation:
1. Confirm that the car seat base is securely tightened. There should be no wiggle room. This is the number one mistake made by parents.
2. Angle the car seat as directed by the manufacturer, to prevent your child’s head from flopping forward.
3. Ensure that there is adequate spacing between the car seat and vehicle front seat.
4. Check the harness straps to ensure that they go through the height-appropriate harness slot (at the shoulder level).
5. Place the harness clip at the level of your child’s armpits (not stomach or neck), so that it overlies the breastbone.
While specific car seat criteria will vary from state to state, every state in the U.S. requires child safety seats for infants and children in some capacity. And aside from being a great safety precaution intuitively, the benefits of effectively utilizing a car seat for your child’s safety are statistically significant as well.
Whether you’ve been injured in an auto or trucking accident, motorcycle accident, slip or fall, dog bite, or if your loved one has been the victim of a wrongful death accident, you deserve to have a powerful and proven Florida Personal Injury Lawyer defending your rights. Before you speak with an insurance company, contact me for a free consultation. I will make sure that you are not bullied or rushed into making a decision, and you will not owe anything unless I win your case. Don’t delay in contacting me today at any of my four offices in Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie, Vero Beach, and Okeechobee. Call 866-460-1990.
