That’s a sobering statistic, particularly when you consider the injuries and emotional impact a car accident can have.
Did you know that child passenger safety practices vary across states and modes of transportation? The National Safety Council (NSC) is calling for uniform child passenger restraint laws with the goal of ensuring that children are safe in vehicles regardless of where they are located or how they are traveling.
National Safety Council Child Passenger Safety Recommendations
Here’s what the NSC is recommending to improve child passenger safety:
- Clear support and appropriate restraints for children with special needs
- Lap and shoulder belts on new school buses to add protection in the event of rollover and side-impact crashes
- Children under age 2 should be properly restrained in their own seat on airplanes using an FAA-approved child restraint device (adults cannot safely hold children during severe turbulence or a crash)
- Children should sit in rear-facing restraint devices at least through age 2
- Children under 13 should always ride in the back seat.
Improving Child Safety
The NSC reports that 723 children ages 12 and under died in motor vehicle crashes in 2016. Using a car seat reduces the risk of a car accident injury by 71-82% for children. Booster seats used with seat belts reduce risk of serious injury for children ages 4-8 by 45% compared with seat belt use alone. For older children and adults, using a seat belt reduces the risk for serious injury by approximately half.
The NSC recommendations go above and beyond many state laws for child passenger safety. These recommendations are based on physics and crash data.
If you or a loved one has been injured, contact the Schuerman Law office today. Schuerman Law has been working with personal injury claims for over 40 years. John Schuerman will compassionately advocate for injured individuals as well as their families while fighting for full compensation of their claims. Schuerman Law offers evening and weekend appointments in addition to home and hospital visits. Schedule a free consultation today by calling 1-800-274-0045.
