Child Safety Seats Take Center Stage During Child Passenger Safety Week
The NHTSA says child safety seat use is at its highest ever:
Kids 0-12 months: 99% child safety seat use
1-3 years: 92% child safety seat use
4-7 years: 89% child safety seat use
Also, drivers who used seat belts were more likely to place children in child safety seats than motorists who were unbelted.
Thousands of safety seat inspection sites have been set up throughout the US. While the NHTSA has found that most young children are using child safety seats many of them are not properly secured in the restraint devices. This means that these kids are still susceptible to the dangers that parents are trying to avoid by properly restraining them.
Out of every four child restraint systems in use, three of them aren’t used correctly. In some instances, the seats that were selected for certain children was not appropriate for their weight or age, children were not properly secured in their seats, or the restraint systems were not correctly attached to vehicles.
Our child seat defect law firm cannot emphasize enough how important it is that you choose the right child safety seat for your son or daughter. Not only should the restraint system be the appropriate one for your child’s age and weight, but you must make sure that your child and the restraint system are secured correctly. It is also the responsibility of the child safety seat manufacturer to make sure that the seat is free from design or malfunction defects, comes with the proper and complete instructions, is marketed correctly and appropriately, and warns of any risks and dangers that can result from use. Defects to child safety seats can prove fatal during a car crash and may result in traumatic brain injuries, crush injuries, and even death.
Our child seat defect lawyers are nationally recognized for our work representing clients with injuries to minors cases whose children were hurt in auto accidents because a child safety seat manufacturer was negligent or because of some auto defect that proved catastrophic.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood Launches Child Passenger Safety Week, NHTSA, September 10, 2009
Child Restraint Use in 2008 (PDF)
Related Web Resources:
Car Safety Seats: A Guide for Families 2009, American Academy of Pediatrics
Seat Inspection Station Locator
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