Snellings Law PLLC Attorneys are Personal Injury Trial Lawyers
How a Car Seat Will Save Your Child’s Life in a Wreck
What You Need to Know:
- Car seats are vital for protecting children in the event of a collision.
- Understanding the different types of car seats—rear-facing, forward-facing, booster seats, and proper seat belts— is crucial.
- A correctly installed car seat can significantly lower the risk of serious injuries, so utilizing resources like free car seat inspections is essential for ensuring that your child’s car seat is safe and effective.
When it comes to keeping our children safe, few things are as crucial as the right car seat. Car seats are not just optional accessories; they are lifesaving devices designed to reduce the risk of injury during a collision.
Children are injured in car accidents every year, and many of these injuries can be prevented with proper car seat usage. As parents, caregivers, and community members, we must understand the vital role that car seats play in protecting our little ones during travel.
At Snellings Law, we see the devastating after-effects auto accidents have on families every day. We’re also parents, so we understand wanting to do everything possible to protect your family. Utilizing car seats can be vital in protecting your children in a car accident.
Finding the Perfect Fit: Choosing the Right Car Seat
Choosing the right car seat for your child is crucial. With various types available—ranging from infant seats to booster seats—each is specifically engineered to provide maximum protection based on a child’s age and size. There are four categories of child vehicle restraints:
- Rear-Facing Car Seat: Rear-facing car seats help reduce the stress on your child’s neck and spine in the event of a car crash. There are a few types of rear-facing car seats: infant car seats, convertible seats, and all-in-one seats. Infant seats are for newborns and small babies, and they are rear-facing only. Convertible seats can change from rear-facing to forward-facing. All-in-one seats can change from rear-facing to front-facing to booster seats. Convertible and all-in-one seats can fit children of varying sizes. This allows children to stay in the rear-facing position for longer since they won’t outgrow the seat.
- Forward-Facing Car Seat: These car seats protect your child in an auto accident with a harness and tether, limiting movement. Forward-facing seats can be convertible seats, combination seats, or all-in-one seats. Convertible seats can transition from rear-facing to forward-facing, while combination seats can change from forward-facing to a booster seat. All-in-one seats can be rear-facing, forward-facing, or booster seats.
- Booster Seat: These seats raise your child so that the vehicle’s seat belt is correctly positioned on their body. Booster seats can be combination seats or all-in-one seats, as previously discussed. These seats transform from rear- and forward-facing seats into a booster seat. Booster-only seats can be backless or come with a high back. Booster seats with high backs provide head and neck support, while backless seats do not.
- Seat Belt: This is the lap-and-shoulder belt that is equipped in the vehicle. The lap belt should lie across the upper thighs. The shoulder belt should be snug on the chest and shoulder. If the seat belt is not correctly situated, it will not be able to protect your child in a car crash.
Your child will need different car seats as they grow. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has guidelines for when to change your child’s car seat. They generally recommend that you keep your child rear-facing as long as possible. You can potentially keep your child rear-facing until they are three years old, but they should always be rear-facing from birth to 12 months.
Your child can “graduate” to a front-facing car seat when they’ve outgrown the height or weight limit on their rear-facing seat. Once your child outgrows the front-facing seat, they can move to a booster seat. Generally, this transition will happen when they are between 4 and 7 years old. Your child should stay in a booster seat until they can properly wear a seat belt. This generally happens between 8 and 12 years old.
The Mechanics of Protection: How Car Seats Operate
Most early-age car seats use a harness to secure your child in the seat and protect them from impact. Car seats may have three-point harnesses with straps that cross over the shoulders and buckle at the bottom of the seat. They also could have a five-point harness with two straps at the shoulders, two at the hips, and one at the bottom of the seat. Both harnesses provide the same protection in an auto accident, but a five-point harness will keep your child more secure. Along with these restraints, car seats also utilize specific seat designs and energy-absorbing materials to help dissolve the force of a collision.
Some car seats may also utilize an overhead shield or a t-shield. An overhead shield is padded and swings over the child. Car seats with an overhead shield are not recommended for small babies since their heads can strike the shield in a crash. A t-shield is a padded triangular shield attached to the shoulder straps that stays attached to the front of the car seat. T-shields are not widely used anymore and not recommended for small babies because their necks sit too close to the shield.
Car seats must undergo tests based on rules made by the NTHSA. These rules are the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213. These tests assess the seat’s structural integrity and ability to support and protect the child in a crash. For a long time, frontal impact standards were the priority for car seat tests, but car seats will also be required to meet side-impact standards beginning in 2025.
The Facts Speak: The Life-Saving Impact of Car Seats
In addition to understanding how car seats function, it’s crucial to recognize the hard facts behind their effectiveness. Studies consistently show that properly installed car seats can significantly lower the risk of severe injuries. The NHTSAestimates that 11,606 children have been saved by child restraints since 1975. They also found that car seats have reduced the risk of fatal injury by:
- 71% for infants in passenger cars
- 54% for toddlers ages 1 to 4 in passenger cars
- 58% for infants in light trucks
- 59% for toddlers in light trucks.
The evidence is clear: car seats save lives. Yet, despite the overwhelming evidence supporting their use, many parents remain unaware of the correct guidelines or believe common misconceptions surrounding car seat safety. This lack of knowledge can have dire consequences in the event of an auto accident.
Some may think that car seats are only meant for infants. However, this is not true. Children should not sit in a vehicle seat with only a seat belt until they are tall enough for the belt to sit properly. Seat belts are designed for adults. Putting a small child in a car without a car seat is dangerous. The belt can cause damage to their organs in a car crash, or the child can slip underneath the restraint. It’s also not safe to hold your child while riding in a vehicle. In an auto accident, your child could be hurt by your seatbelt, crushed against the car, or thrown inside or outside the vehicle, causing serious or fatal injuries.
Putting your child in the correct vehicle restraint is not only the safe choice but also required by law. Texas law requiresthat children under eight years old or shorter than 4’9 must be secured in a car seat. You can receive a ticket of up to $250 if you fail to properly restrain a child in a vehicle.
Ensuring Safety: The Importance of Proper Car Seat Installation
Installing your child’s car seat correctly is just as important as choosing the correct one. Failing to properly install your child’s car seat can lead to serious injuries such as traumatic brain injury, broken bones, burn injuries, or spinal cord injuries.
Unfortunately, studies have shown that only about half of parents actually know how to properly install their child’s car seat. The NHTSA has installation instructions and videos on their website for every type of car seat.
You can also get a free car seat inspection. The purpose of these inspections is to verify that the car seat is installed properly. You can find a technician near you using any of the following websites:
How a Personal Injury Lawyer Can Help
Unfortunately, auto accidents happen all the time, and we can do everything possible to prepare but still end up injured. When a child is injured in a car accident, the case will be different from one that does not involve minors. If you and your family are injured in an auto accident, the best thing you can do is consult an experienced auto accident attorney.
An auto accident attorney can help you and your family get the medical treatment you need after a crash. Unfortunately, some doctors will refuse to treat auto accident victims. An auto accident attorney can help connect you with medical providers who will treat your injuries and get your family healed.
An auto accident attorney can also protect your case from common mistakes or traps set by the adjusters. They can help your family recover damages from the crash, such as past and future medical expenses, pain and suffering, disfigurement, and emotional distress.
For more information about what damages you can recover in a car accident, watch this video from our Founding Attorney Scott Snellings.
Snellings Law Cares About Protecting Your Family in an Auto Accident
At Snellings Law, we are deeply committed to the safety and well-being of families in our North Texas community. We understand that every child is precious, and their safety is paramount, especially when it comes to traveling in vehicles. The right car seat can be a lifesaving investment, significantly reducing the risk of injury in the unfortunate event of a collision.
If you have questions about car seat safety or if you or a loved one has been injured in a car crash due to someone else’s negligence, our dedicated team is here to help. We offer free strategy sessions to discuss your situation and guide you through the personal injury process, ensuring that you receive the support and care you deserve.
Call us today at (214) 387-0387 to schedule your free strategy session. Remember, the safety of your child is worth every effort. Let’s make a commitment to protect our loved ones and advocate for their safety. Your family’s well-being is our priority, and we’re here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can work toward a future where all children travel safely on our roads.
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