Your Child’s Booster Seat Could Be Less Safe in a Car Accident Than You Realize
Every day in Atlanta and the surrounding areas of Georgia, parents buckle their children into booster seats and leave home expecting that the safety device will keep their child safe in the event of a serious collision. While it goes without saying that child safety seats are invaluable pieces of protective equipment, a study suggests that many children are not nearly as safe in a booster seat as their parents might expect in the event of a car accident. According to a study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), half of all car booster seats do not provide a proper fit with seatbelts. In this blog post, our Atlanta personal injury lawyers review this research regarding the issue of an improper fit between vehicles and this important type of safety equipment.
While any product that is designed or manufactured with defects, or one that provides inadequate instructions or warnings to ensure safe use is dangerous, the risk increases exponentially when the product is a piece of vital safety equipment such as a child booster seat. Booster seats are designed for children who have become too big for forward facing car seats. These types of child safety devices are designed to elevate a child's body, so the adult seatbelt forms a proper fit.
Half of All Booster Seats Did Not Have a Proper Fit with Vehicle Seats
The IIHS study examined twenty million four to eight-year-olds and the appropriateness of their fit when using the families' child booster seats. The study revealed that of the 83 child booster seats tested, 41 did not fit properly with the vehicle seat and seat belt. When there is a poor fit with a child booster seat, the child is not positioned properly to maximize the benefit of a seatbelt in the case of a serious traffic accident. This lack of proper positioning of a child's body during a collision can result in serious injury.
Four of the booster seats tested in the study provided such a poor fit that the IIHS recommended that the booster seats should not be used at all. When a parent is attempting to determine if a booster seat fits properly, they should check to see that the lower belt sits flat across their child's upper thigh region, according to Edmunds.com. If the child's body is not positioned properly when restrained by the seatbelt, parts of the child's body can be injured by impact with the interior of the vehicle in a collision. When the seatbelt is improperly positioned across the abdomen, the seatbelt itself can cause serious injury, including damage to a child's internal organs.
Parents Should Be Aware of Proper Fit Issue
The results of the IIHS study do not contradict conventional wisdom that booster seats are a necessary piece of safety equipment that might keep a child safe in an auto accident. If your child is between the ages of four and eight, your child is almost fifty percent less likely to be injured in a collision when using a child booster seat. However, you should check the fit of the booster seat to ensure that the seatbelt is properly positioned when your child is buckled up.
Put Our Law Firm's Over 39 Years of Legal Experience to Work For You!
One of the most tragic parts of representing car accident victims is that sometimes our clients are the families of children who have been seriously injured. Our personal injury lawyers at Montlick & Associates are committed to car accident safety for children and their families. If your child is injured when riding as a passenger in a motor vehicle, our law firm is committed to tenaciously pursuing full compensation for our clients under the law.
Our law firm has been representing those who suffer serious injuries throughout Georgia and in the Southeast for over 39 years, including but not limited to Albany, Athens, Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Gainesville, Macon, Marietta, Rome, Roswell, Savannah, Smyrna, Valdosta, Warner Robins and all smaller cities and rural areas in the state.
No matter where you are located, the attorneys of Montlick and Associates, Attorneys at Law, are just a phone call away, and we will even come to you. Call us 24 hours a day/7 days a week for your Free Consultation at 1-800-LAW-NEED (1-800-529-6333). You can also visit us online at www.montlick.com and use our Free Case Evaluation Form or 24-hour Live Online Chat.
Montlick & Associates, Attorneys at Law
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Atlanta, GA 30329
(404) 529-6333
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Related Pages: Columbus Car Accident Lawyers, Augusta GA Car accident lawyers, Car Accident Lawyers in Georgia, Car Accident Lawyers in Atlanta, Car Accident Lawyers in Athens, Albany Car Accident Lawyers.