We all are deeply attached with our family members and when it comes to their safety we take extra efforts in ensuring that they remain safe and secured. Our concern becomes more intense when it comes to our children; they are apple of our eyes and we don’t ever want (even to imagine!) that they have to face any grim situation in their life.
But when we study statistic data, it can be clearly inferred that children are in fact more vulnerable when they are involved in a car accident. The risk is quite significant when we consider their fragility. That is why when small children are inflicted by injuries during a motor vehicle accident, they are severe and can be the cause of their death. Our heart is rendered helpless and miserable when we come face to face to reality as road accidents are becoming so much prevalent and we are no way closer in avoiding fury on roads. Whether it is going to schools or for medical checkup, we are constantly taking our children with us in our cars and once they are on the road – they are always vulnerable!
We feel that we are not at all prepared to face any situation where our child’s safety is compromised. If you have been looking for potent ways through which you can reduce the risk of injuries for your child while in an accident, then you have come to the right place. We are going to discuss various safety measures that can help you in saving the life and health of your children.
It has been observed that the principal causes of fatal accidents are faulty car seats and car belts. It might come as shock to many of us but the fact remain the same that the majority of children death in accidents is attributed to unrestrained conditions. The most common injuries that children are inflicted due to the untoward incidents obviously remain brain and spinal cord injuries. These injuries can cause permanent damage on the children’s life in coming times but the saddest part of the story is that all such grim situations were avoidable if the car drivers would have been little more thoughtful and sensible.
Without any doubt, when children are taken on the four wheels, car seats and car belts play an indispensable role in protecting them even when there is a collision. But the thing that you need to keep in mind is that they work effectively only when they are used in the proper manner. These two life saving aspects of a vehicle therefore should be your prime concern when you are taking your children long with you. You need to secure your child with the seat belt properly and don’t ever be careless on this front.
You can make a huge difference even in a bad situation if you have used safety measures appropriately. It is your responsibility to be aware of the instructions that you have received in the vehicle’s manual so that you can be prepared for everything. There can be very effective and useful suggestions (which you have been neglecting so far) that can help you in saving you children’s life in a car crash, like harness tarps should be below or at the infant’s shoulder and a chest clip should be positioned at arm pit level. Similarly, harness straps should fit the child nicely.
As a parent, your responsibility of saving your child’s life is paramount. So you need to be very vigilant while following the traffic rules so that you can optimize their safety while they are in the vehicle. In this regard, it is not at all safe to carry your child while you are in the vehicle and you should be very careful with infants. You shouldn’t make the fatal mistake of placing your child near the air bags. It is very risky to do so and you are in fact inviting a lot of trouble for you and for your children in case of any problematic situation.
Before we study about safety measures in more details first of all let’s find about the risk factors:
- According to the CDC study, a lot of parents didn’t buckle up their children; and the majority of children that have low safety standards while traveling in a vehicle are from 8 to 12 years. Normal people are taking serious amount of risk with their kids while driving.
- Alcohol is another major risk that directly affects children’s, their parents’ and other drivers’ safety as 1 of 5 deaths among children happens because of DUI drivers. More than 60% of kids died in drunk and drive road accidents.
- People also don’t use child safety systems properly and that is one major issue behind severe injuries of kids in motor vehicle accidents. Parents don’t install booster and other special kid seats properly and this subsequently makes their child prone to serious injuries.
Awareness about risk factors can bring us closer to the aspects that we tend to ignore, yet their prominence comes into limelight when we find ourselves involved in an unfortunate event. Then we realize that our carelessness can cost us beyond our imagination. So let us now figure out what you need to do in order to reduce these risks.
Here we are presenting you the best suggestions that you can follow to avoid injuries to kids during motor vehicle accidents:
- Car seat distribution plus education program – There are numerous community programs that are targeting on car seat distribution which can be pursued rigorously for reducing child passenger injuries. It is strongly recommended that you should also increase your self-discipline while driving and there are many techniques that can work in your favor when you want to protect your child during an accident. You can read updated reviews of experts as you seek out an apt program to understand and implement these strategies thoroughly.
- Start using booster seats – Normal seats are not appropriate for kids that are between the age of 7 and 8 years as regular seat belt doesn’t cover their body. That is why using a booster seat can bring significant change in their safety as they are especially made for children. According to the combined study of five provinces, people started using booster seats thrice the previous number and that has reduced children injuries up to 20%. So, it is very clear indication that booster seats protect kids from fatal injuries better than normal ones. Also, if you have a kid above 5 years old, booster seats can reduce injury risks of your kid. You can use this seat until your kid gains the needed height which is ok for normal seat belts. Make sure you have buckled your kid properly and avoid tightening of his/her neck or stomach.
- Properly buckled up seat – You should use car seats, seat belt or booster seats according to your kid’s height, age and weight to avoid serious injuries. Make sure you have fastened the buckle tightly to avoid fatal affects of a car accident on your child. You can take the help of experts for minor adjustments that are necessary to add extra protection for your children.
- Rear facing car seat – If you have children less than 2 years old, then you should buckle them in rear facing seat (back seat) in your car. As your child is growing, you can keep checking the manual provided with the seat to secure your child. Minor adjustments such as weight and height can help you in reducing chances of severe injuries in case of an auto accident.
- Forward facing car seat – When children are older than 2, you should replace a rear facing seat with a buckled forward facing car seat but keep him/her on the back seat. You should also read the provided manual of a seat manufacturer, especially kid’s height and weight limits and requirements for a particular model. You should not avoid warnings provided by seat makers as minor negligence can bring fatal results.
- Fasten the seat belts – Once your kid has grown enough to fit in the normal car seat, you should remove the booster seats. Make sure your kid has gained more than 57 inches in height as that is the standard set for normal seat belts. You should ensure that the seat belt is in perfect condition and your kid is comfortable with the normal seat.
- User manual – You should read and use crucial points that are provided in the user manual for boosting your children’s security. There are many adjustments that are required for well functioning seats and you can double check the security level by only installing certified seats that are given the green signal by Child Passenger Safety Technicians. If you are not able to understand the manual then you should contact experts for help and guidance.
- Keep kids away from the front seat – Make sure, your kid is not sitting on the front seat if he/she is not over 12 years old, because air bag can be fatal for her/him. You should not place rear-facing seat for kids in the front seat as the air bag will lead to devastating situations. Hence, there is no place for any kind of negligence when it comes to your child’s safety.
- Car seat positioning – Seat positioning is the foremost thing that you should pay due attention if you want to maximize your children’s safety. Most people avoid following manufacturer’s guidelines and place their child in the front seat, taking the risk of serious injuries or fatal results in a motor vehicle accident. According to the American Association of Pediatrics, you should place your baby in the middle of rear seat because that is the safest place in the entire car. There are very few injuries that children have faced while they were in the middle of rear seat – you should place your child in the middle of the rear seat to add extra protection. In case of some hapless event, there are more chances that your child will face serious injuries if he/she is sitting at either side of the back seat. It has been proved time and again that the middle part of the rear seat is the safest place that will keep your child safer. So next time your kid insists to be near the window, you should not bow to their desires; in fact it is time to make them understand about their safety more from now on.
- Proper restrains – You should secure your child using seat belts even for short rides. In no way you can ever predict accidents and that is why you should use high standards of safety measure every time you are going out with or without your kid. You can encourage your kids to wear seat belts every time you are driving.
So you can see that you can play a significant role in protecting your kid and your conscientiousness can improve their safety. All in all, you always need to be alert and really sensible in using safety measures so that you can make sure that your child is safe and sound always. Still, if you find that you have been forced to be a part of an unfortunate event where your kid becomes a victim then don’t delay in seeking the medical as well as legal support and services instantly. Rest assured you will never be all alone in your testing times.
Always make sure that you seek the best medical services for your child in case he/she has faced injuries and also don’t delay in finding a personal injury attorney to file for a motor vehicle accident claim. You should keep in mind that you should do your best to avoid bad situations but in case you didn’t – your response to it can make a huge difference. Hence, it is advisable to be in touch with reliable legal professionals so that all medical expenses of yours and your children’s treatment are compensated fully.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident and needs top-level representation and care, please call motor vehicle accident lawyers at
1 (844) 722-5246 or Book your FREE consultation.
