Car Accidents Involving Child Passengers

    DALLAS, TX, August 22, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Driving a car is a huge responsibility. When you drive you are not only responsible for the safety of those in your car, but the safety of all the other drivers and passengers on the road. Children are not equal to any other passenger. It is extremely important that you remain aware of the newest safety items used to protect children in the event of an automobile accident and the proper way to seat children in your car.

What Not To Do

There are certain things you should never do when driving with children in your vehicle. Never drive with children seated in your lap. Besides the fact that it is extremely illegal, you will never be able to hold to the child if you are involved in an accident. Even if you put a seatbelt over both you and your child, it is a very dangerous situation. The momentum of your body going forward and the seat belt pushing back against the child can cause the child to be smothered.

Also, do not allow children under the age of twelve to ride in the front seat. While seat belts save thousands of lives each year, children are not big enough to be adequately protected by the seat belts in the passenger seat. The passenger side airbags also create a danger to children. They are an extremely important safety feature, but again, because of the size of children, create the danger of suffocation, or severe injury due to their impact.

What To Do

If your child is an infant, make sure you purchase a rear-facing seat made specifically for infants. You should continue to use this rear-facing seat until your child is at least one year old and twenty pounds. Once your child is over one year old and twenty pounds, you can switch to a front facing car seat, but they should still remain in the back seat of the vehicle.

Your child can then graduate to the use of a booster seat once he/she is over forty pounds. It is imperative that the proper seats are used based on the size of your child, more so than the age. Their weight plays an integral part in the effectiveness of the child seat you use.

Be sure to always read the instructions on any child seat you purchase very carefully. Be sure to do adequate research before purchasing any child seat as well, since they are often recalled due to defective manufacturing.

It can also be helpful to teach children to get out of the car on the side facing the curb, and to try to remain quiet and not distract you too much while driving. These little things can help protect both the child and you as well and even prevent an accident to begin with.

If your child has been injured in a car accident, please visit the website of the experienced car accident attorneys at Polewski & Associates, serving Dallas and Ellis County, Texas, today.

Source: Polewski & Associates
Website: http://www.polewskilaw.com

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