Posted on Wednesday, January 7th, 2015 at 3:37 pm
The National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC) discovered that in the United States during 2011, more than 650 children ages 12 years and younger died as occupants in motor vehicle crashes, and more than 148,000 were injured. Another NCIPA study found that, in one year, more than 618,000 children ages 0-12 rode in vehicles without the use of a child safety seat or booster seat or a seat belt at least some of the time.
Unfortunately, a majority of child restraint systems are often used incorrectly. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study found that 72% of nearly 3,500 observed car and booster seats were misused in a way that could be expected to increase a child’s risk of injury during a crash.
The lack of knowledge parents are showing towards proper car seat guidelines has caused one mother to voice her opinion. Holly Wagner is a mother who lost her eleven-month old son, Cameron, when he was involved in a car crash on April 27th, 2013. Cameron was not properly buckled, and the car seat was facing the front of the car. If Cameron’s car seat would have been rear facing towards the seat, Holly believes her son would be alive today. To help raise awareness on car seat safety, Holly has developed a blog and Facebook page to try and educate parents on the proper installation procedures. For more information on Holly’s story please click here.
If children are not properly secured, they can sustain life-threatening injuries. Here at McCutchen Napurano - The Law Firm, we encourage the proper installation of car seats by partnering with the Fort Smith Police Department and hosting an annual car seat safety event every spring. With the wonderful support from the police department, both of us will provide about fifty car seats and give them out for free to parents in need of one. Certified car seat inspectors will also help install the car seats in the parent’s car for them.
This event is a great opportunity for parents to see first-hand how to properly install car seats from certified experts. According to The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, if car seats are used properly, they can decrease the risk of fatal injury by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers. Please click on the link below to view the proper car seat safety guidelines, and take action if your car seat is insufficient.
