Orlando, FL – Three out of four child safety seats are improperly installed in vehicles according to research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. As part of National Child Passenger Safety Week (September 21-27), car seat check events will be held on Saturday, September 20th, including one at Burlington Coat Factory, 130 E. Altamonte Drive in Altamonte Springs from 9:00am – 1:00pm.
“It’s the responsibility of every parent and caregiver out there to make sure their children are safely restrained – every trip, every time,” said Henry Didier, a local product safety attorney “We are urging everyone to get their child safety seats inspected. When it comes to the safety of a child, there is no room for mistakes.”
“Manufacturers have a responsibility to create safe products, especially knowing that consumers don’t always understand the risks, follow directions or read warning labels,” said Henry Didier. “Knowing this, manufacturers must identify foreseeable uses and misuses during the design process and take steps to address any safety issues. Consumers also have to take personal responsibility and read the product instructions, be conscious of safety issues, and stay abreast of recalls by registering their purchase and periodically checking for notices on websites such as www.recalls.gov.”
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration research, 8,325 lives of children under age 5 have been saved by the proper use of child restraints during the past 30 years. In 2006, among children under 5, an estimated 425 lives were saved by child restraint use. Research shows that child restraints provide the best protection for all children up to age 8; after age 8 seat belts provide the best protection.
For maximum child passenger safety, parents and caregivers should refer to NHTSA’s 4 Steps for Kids guidelines for determining which restraint system is best suited to protect children based on age and size:
- For the best possible protection keep infants in the back seat, in rear-facing child safety seats, as long as possible up to the height or weight limit of the particular seat. At a minimum, keep infants rear-facing until at least age 1 and at least 20 pounds.
- When children outgrow their rear-facing seats (at least age 1 and at least 20 pounds) they should ride in forward-facing child safety seats, in the back seat, until they reach the upper weight or height limit of the particular seat (usually around age 4 and 40 pounds).
- Once children outgrow their forward-facing seats (usually around age 4 and 40 pounds), they should ride in booster seats, in the back seat, until the vehicle seat belts fit properly. Seat belts fit properly when the lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across the chest (usually at age 8 or when they are 4’9” tall).
- When children outgrow their booster seats, (usually at age 8 or when they are 4’9” tall) they can use the adult seat belts in the back seat, if they fit properly (lap belt lays across the upper thighs and the shoulder belt fits across the chest).
The Didier Law Firm, P.A. specializes in automotive defect cases including unsafe airbags, tire failures, seatback and seatbelt failures, and rollover stability cases. The firm also handles a multitude of cases relating to defective designs of industrial products and heavy equipment. Often, product defects cause catastrophic injuries or wrongful death, and the firm is committed to seeking justice for injured people and their families.
