New child car seat safety recommendations from The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), suggest parents keep their children in a rear-facing car seat until the age of two, or until the child outgrows their current seat. These new regulations should prove safer in Boston car accidents.
Boston personal injury lawyers would like to remind you how important it is to make sure our children are safely restrained in the appropriate car seat. According to the latest mortality data from the National Center for Health Statistics, car accidents are the number one cause of death for those ages 3 to 14.
CNN reports that children under the age of 2 involved in a car accident, in rear-facing car seats, are 75 percent less likely to suffer from a severe injury, or even death, if secured properly. Rear-facing car seats have been shown to be five times safer than forward-facing car seats when involved in a motor vehicle accident.
It is not uncommon for parents to misuse child car seats. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention reports one study found that, of 3,500 cases, 72 percent of parents misused the car seat in such a way that could be expected to increase their child’s risk of injury during a car accident.
Once children have reach the age of two, or outgrown the recommended maximum height and weight of car seats, you are advised to keep your child in a booster seat until they reach 8-years-old. It is also recommended that children under the age of 14 are kept in the backseat.
A complete list of car seat safety tips, instructions, and recommendations can be found on the AAA website.
If you or your child has been involved in a car accident, contact our Boston injury lawyers at Jeffrey Glassman Injury Lawyers for a free confidential consultation to discuss your rights. Call 877-617-5333 or contact us through the website.