Children are some of the most vulnerable victims of car accidents. Georgia transportation safety agencies recently commemorated National Child Passenger Safety Week which this year fell between September 15 and 21.
The Georgia Governors Office of Highway Safety and the Department of Public Health were out in full force during National Child Passenger Safety Week. Certified child safety car seat technicians went around the state, checking car seats and educating parents about the need to make sure that their children are restrained in appropriate car seats whenever they are travelling in a car. Proper restraints are the best way to prevent children from suffering severe personal injuries in car accidents.
Georgia’s laws for car seat use are extremely clear. Under the law, children below the age of 8 must be safely restrained in a booster seat or a car seat depending on their height and weight. Many parents, however, fail to ensure their children are restrained appropriately for their age, height and weight with disastrous consequences. While most parents are aware of the need to make sure their children are restrained correctly, they may have their car seats installed incorrectly or they may be restraining their children in car safety seats or booster seats that are not appropriate for their child. Georgia parents can check the safety of their child car seat at www.gahighway.org, and get information about how to get their car seat checked by a certified technician.
Typically, infants and toddlers below the age of 2 must be restrained in rear- facing car seats before the transition to forward-facing car seats and booster seats. Many child safety experts recommend continuing to place your child in a rear – facing car seat till the age of 3, or at least till he or she reaches the maximum or top height specified by the car seat manufacturer. Some parents, unfortunately, may rush to move their child to forward-facing car seats too early. This must be avoided. Rushing to move your child to a forward -facing car seat or a booster seat before it is recommended to do so may and likely would expose your child to the risk of serious personal injuries in an auto accident.
According to the Georgia Governors Office of Highway Safety, using a car seat or booster seat reduces the risk of personal injury to an infant by 71%, and to a toddler by as much as 54%. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that every year, an average of 325 children below the age of 5 survive car accidents because of the use of car seats.
The Atlanta car accident lawyers at Katz Personal Injury Lawyers are dedicated to the representation of persons who have suffered injuries in car accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across the state of Georgia. If you or a loved one have suffered injuries in a car accident, talk to a lawyer at our firm and discuss your legal options for a claim for damages. You may qualify for compensation that includes medical costs, lost income and other forms of damages. Talk to an attorney at our firm and discuss your case. Initial consultations are free.