If you’re a bio parent you probably consider your child’s birth the most important event you’ll ever experience. The arrival of your little bundle of joy immediately thrusted you into perhaps an unfamiliar world where someone is totally dependent on you for their safety and well-being.
In most cases, you would do anything to keep their child safe. Sometimes this is as easy as using appropriate child car seat guidelines.
Unfortunately, improperly using car seats can be dangerous, so you should fully understand these restraints.
Help with Installation
Properly installing a child car seat is important. If they’re not properly installed, they basically lose their effectiveness.
This can be tragic in a car accident. Fortunately, there are various resources to help in their proper installation.
The easiest place to look for help is the car seat instructions. Since many child safety seats have different ways of installation, the instructions can be invaluable.
Of course, there are times when the instructions are missing. For instance, what if you want to use your car seat again when you have another baby but can’t find the original instructions?
Fortunately, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has a search engine that helps parents locate child car seat inspection stations in their area. Also, there are various online resources that give instructions on how to install different types of child car seats.
What the Law Says
Due to the danger children and infants could face if not appropriately restrained in vehicles, each state has passed laws requiring certain children to be placed in child car seats.
Every state in America requires infants to be put in these seats. There are also laws in each state which defines certain criteria, such as age, weight and height, for children who must use certain car seats.
Unfortunately, there is no standard rule practiced by every state regarding child car seats. In Alabama, children over the age of six can use a regular seat belt.
However, in Georgia a child must be over 40 pounds or 57 inches tall to use traditional seat belts.
In most states, certain child seats are required by law. In Alaska, for example, infants under one year old must be restrained in rear-facing seats. Failure to abide by these rules can result in high fines and points on a parent’s license.
A recent crash in Missouri, for instance, ended with an infant in their car seat as the sole survivor.
The surviving grandparents will probably be able to seek compensation for the wrongful deaths of their family members. In the midst of these events, they’ll need to make sure they replace their grandchild’s safety seat.
Dangerous Practices to Avoid
Following the appropriate installation instructions is critical for the safety of children. There are several dangerous mistakes every parent should pay special attention not to make.
1. Aftermarket Additions: Aftermarket additions to a child safety seat, such as covers or additional padding, can add dangerous variables not accounted for during safety testing.
2. Loose Installation: This is the main mistake parents make upon installation. A child safety seat shouldn’t move anymore than an inch when properly installed.
3. Loose Straps: The straps that go over a child are meant to be secured tightly. Failure to do so can reduce the seat’s effectiveness.
Every child is a precious gift. This is why it’s so essential to protect them while driving.
Fortunately, this isn’t an especially difficult task. While all of the steps surrounding caring for your child may seem daunting at first, properly using car safety seats is one of the simplest steps you can take to protect your little one.
Once the appropriate safety procedures are understood, you can relax knowing your child is safe when you’re driving.
As a mother of four, Lisa Coleman shares the importance of proper installation and car seat safety for your little ones. Doing so increases safety if an accident should occur. She recently viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pQEM2FShbI how a MO car accident attorney can help when faced with such an accident.
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