Child Injury & Car Seats: Improper Use a Common Factor says AAA

You can use your child’s car seat during every car ride, but it’s not going to do any good if it’s not installed correctly. According to Consumer Affairs, a recent survey showed these seats are often used improperly by parents and guardians, even with the new technologies like Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH), which are designed to make buckling these kids in a lot easier.

Officials with AAA recently talked to Child Passenger Safety Technicians (CPSTs) about how well adults are bucking children in these seats. These technicians are those who inspect and then properly install child car seats for parents who seek a little help. According to their feedback, the misuse of the LATCH system should be a top concern as misuse occurs about half of the time.

Fort Lauderdale injury lawyers understand how critical it is to make sure that children are properly buckled in during each and every car ride. Parents and guardians are the one and only line of defense against injury and even death in the event of a car accident. When these children are not properly buckled, their risks for injuries skyrocket! Don’t leave them to fend for themselves; make sure they’re protected every time you turn on the car. You can mean the difference between life and death for young passengers.

According to Jennifer Huebner-Davidson with AAA, an overwhelming majority of parents are putting their children at risk on our roadways.

The LATCH system has been used as standard equipment since being launched back in 2002. Typically, it’s regarded as a user-friendly system in place of the seat belt. Officials with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) say that about three-quarters of all parents who have experience using car seats say that they prefer the LATCH system.

This preference does not guarantee that it’s going to be used correctly though. According to a recent survey from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), less than 15 percent of parents and guardians who volunteered for the study were able to properly buckle the LATCH system.

One of the biggest problems with putting these seats in the car is that parents aren’t placing the seat in the right position. For year now, adults have been told that it’s best to put them in the middle of the back seat. That’s not so much the case anymore. During recent safety studies, only 7 of the top 90 top-selling cars supported this system in the middle of the back seat.

Officials with AAA are urging parents to review the user manual of the seat to make sure it’s being used properly. Remember that a seat belt should be used to keep this child car seat in place. If there’s not one available, it should be moved to an outer seat. more If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a car accident, contact Richard Ansara at 954 761-3641 or (954) 761-4011 for a free initial consultation. More Blog Entries: Traffic Accident Fatalities Up in Broward and Palm Beach Counties, Broward Injury Lawyer Blog, September 4, 2012