A recent study coming out of New York has been terrifying parents across the country. According to a check of random car seats within the state, only 12% of them were installed correctly. It’s true that we live in California and not New York, but there’s no reason to believe that our statistics aren’t similar.
At Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas we’ve unfortunately seen children injured in car accidents who may not have been if their car seat had been slightly adjusted. We hope that every parent in California will take the time to ensure that their child’s car seat is correctly installed. Read on to learn more but if you or your child has been injured in an accident, please call us right away at 909-982-0707 for your free case evaluation.
Do you know what ages a child must be in a car seat or booster seat?
The Center for Disease Control, otherwise known as the CDC, recommends that any children 11 and under is in either a car seat or a booster seat. This can be impacted by the height and weight of the child.
For example, a 9-year-old who weighed more than a 12-year-old may not need to be in a car seat as long. However, unless a physician or member of law enforcement says that your child can stop sooner than their 12th birthday, then we recommend you follow the CDC’s recommendations.
Just how important are car seats?
Most people know that car seats are important but they’re often shocked to learn how much of a difference they can make. Consider this stat: When an infant is involved in a car accident, their risk of death is reduced by 71%. Older children’s chance of death is reduced by 54%. These are tragic numbers and there’s no question that there are parents out there who lost a child in an accident and wish they’d know about them.
How to find out if your car seat is properly installed
The trouble isn’t that parents don’t care about installing their car seats correctly, it’s that they often think they’re installed correctly when they’re not. It’s almost impossible to offer a general guide because there are so many different kinds of car seats and each one could have a unique way of being safely installed.
The good news is that the California Highway Patrol offers free services to help. You can have your car seat checked and if it’s not installed correctly, they will do it for. This can give you the peace of mind you need to know that your child’s car seat is correctly installed.
Call us right away if you or your child has been injured in a car accident
If this information is reaching you too late, or if your child’s life was saved by a car accident but they were still injured, then we urge you to call Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas at 909-982-0707. We offer a free case evaluation during which we can let you know if you have a personal injury case.
