Ohio state law requires that all children weighing less than 40 pounds use a car seat when riding in a motor vehicle, to prevent personal injury in the event of a car accident, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The government agency also recommends a booster seat for children over 40 pounds until they are 8 years old or 4 feet 9 inches tall.
Riding in the car as a child can be an exciting experience – sometimes even more exciting than the destination. Our Toledo, Ohio personal injury attorneys want to remind parents, however, that no matter how excited kids get while in a car, they must always remain seated and buckled up, to prevent personal injury in the event of a car accident.
In an effort to address their statistical findings showing that seven in 10 child safety seats are either the wrong size or misused, the NHTSA has introduced a five-star Ease of Use rating system to judge just how easy it is for parents to install or uninstall a car seat. If a car seat is the wrong size or incorrectly installed, the ability for the seat to protect a child from personal injury in the event of a car accident greatly decreases. NHTSA hopes that the new rating system, to replace the former letter graded system, will help parents choose the seat that is best for their child.
The rating will not affect the fact that all child seats must adhere to federal safety regulations, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Our Toledo, Ohio personal injury attorneys urge parents to always take all safety precautions when traveling with children. Make sure your kids are in a properly installed car seat or buckled up. Choose child safety seats wisely, and research their ratings before deciding to allow them to protect your child. NHTSA estimates that child restraint systems, when used properly reduce fatal injuries by 71% for infants and 54% for toddlers in passenger cars and by nearly 60% for infants and toddlers in sport-utility vehicles, pickup trucks and vans, according to the Wall Street Journal. Children should never ride in the front seat of a car, as the front airbags have the ability to cause severe personal injury in the event of a car accident.
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