Georgia Injury Law Blog
Car seats for young children are an extremely important safety device. Every parent recalls having to deal with situation of installing a car seat for the first time or when they get a new car. Unfortunately, far too many car seats are improperly installed, exposing children in the seats to the risk of potential life – threatening personal injuries in car accidents.
Securing a child in a car seat is an absolute must before any journey. Most parents, fortunately, in Georgia, are aware of the need to restrain children in car seats. Car seats should not only be used every time for young children, but also must be appropriate to the age and weight of the child. Many car seats have been designed to be easy to use, in order to make it easy for parents to install these seats. Unfortunately, even with these easy –to use designs, parents still make errors in the installation of these car seats.
According to a new study, too many seats are being improperly installed, exposing the children in the seats to the risk of potentially catastrophic or even life- threatening personal injuries in the event of an auto accident. The researchers looked at seat check data from between 2015 and 2019, and found that approximately 70% or an overwhelming majority of all the errors involved car seats installed with seat belts. Other errors involved recline angles. About half of the errors involved top tether on forward – facing car seats. The tether is an important component of the car seat and is meant to be attached to the vehicle, and according to the study, many parents either fail to secure it or secure it incorrectly.