Choose the Right Car Seat to Keep Kids Safe This Summer
Summer is a great time to hit the road on a family vacation. Unfortunately, as St. Louis car accident lawyers know, vehicle crashes can mean serious injuries, especially for children. Choosing the right car seat for each child’s age, height, and weight can help keep kids safe, so the family can focus on having fun - not recovering from injuries.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, infants should ride in a rear-facing child seat from when they’re born until their first birthday or later. These seats should always be placed in a rear seat or one without an airbag, since an airbag can hit the seat and cause injury during an accident.
Children should ride in a rear-facing car seat as long as you can find one that accommodates the child’s height and weight. Once the child is too big for a rear-facing seat, he or she should move to a forward-facing seat with a harness, but still ride in the rear seat. Most children reach this milestone between ages one and three.
A child who grows out of his or her car seat should move to a booster seat and stay in the rear of the car until he or she is at least seven years old. A booster seat lifts the child up so that the car’s seat belts fit properly.
Finally, a child eight years or older should stay in a booster seat until they are grown enough to fit in a seat belt without the booster seat. Until at least age twelve, kids are safest in the back seat.
Choosing the proper car seat for your child can help prevent injury, but unfortunately, no parent can stop other drivers from causing crashes by being negligent or reckless. If you or someone you love has been injured in a St. Louis car accident, please don’t hesitate to contact an experienced Missouri injury lawyer. For a free consultation, call us at 314-322-8515.
