What You Should Know About Car Seat Safety
Brian O Sutter
Accident Lawyers
Though children can certainly be a handful, they are a precious gift. That is why you, as a parent, try so hard to keep them safe and healthy. You make sure they get all their fruits and vegetables, take them to the doctor when they get sick, and never let them hop on to their bike without their helmet. But are you doing enough to keep your child safe?
Keeping your child safe should always be your first priory as a parent. Due to their smaller and more vulnerable size, children require much more safety precautions than an adult does. This includes keeping them safe when your driving. Though you'd like to believe that you'd never get into an accident, specially when your little ones are with you, you can not take that chance with your child's life.
Accidents are unpredictable and happen a lot more often than you think. That is why you need to make sure to do everything you can to keep your children safe. Thanks to modern technology and research, your ability to keep your children safe has never been better. Seatbelts and child safety seats have greatly reduced the number of accident related injuries and death among children.
Florida Law Requirements
Many states have enforced laws in order to encourage more parents to prioritize vehicle safety and Florida is no different. In Florida, children under the age of 5 must be properly restrained no matter where they are seated in the vehicle. Children that are 3 years old or younger must be secured in a separate carrier, typically a child safety seat, or in a vehicle manufacturer's integrated child safety seat.
For infant passengers, you absolutely must have them in a rear-facing car seat until they are at least one year old and weight 20 pounds or more. Never put a child or infant's safety seat in the front seat of a vehicle. Many vehicles come equipped with an air bag that could be fatal to the child or infant if deployed.
The violation of the child restraint law often carries a fine of $60 and can put 3 points on your driving record.
Accidents Happen
The law aside, not following these requirements greatly risks the safety of your child or infant. In 2011, a statistic compiled by the U.S. Centers For Disease Control showed that over 140,000 children under the age of 12 were injured in car accidents that year alone. Sadly, another 650 of those children ended up dying from their injuries. Of those who died, 33 percent were not in car seats.
Some of those deaths could have been prevented. Using car seats has proven to reduce the risk of death by 71 percent and the use of booster seats for children, who were between the ages of 4 and 8, reduced the risk of serious injury by 45 percent. You owe it to your children to give them the best safety possible both in and out of the car. However, if you are neglecting to to properly use seat belts, boosters seats, and child safety seats, you are risking their health and well-being.