February marks Child Passenger Safety Month, putting a focus on ensure kids are properly buckled up and safe while in the car. During the month, parents and caregivers are urged to ensure children are buckled up to establish the lifetime habit of the safety measure.
Here are some important steps for parents buckling up their children, according to this news report .
- Children come in all sizes and need different forms of protection in a crash. When determining the best way to transport a child, follow the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s four steps to child passenger safety
- When a child transitions from a car seat to a booster seat (usually at 40 pounds and 4 years of age), make it a special event and show them how to place the seat belt safely over their body.
- Explain that the seat belt is designed to go over their bones on their body because bones are the strongest points on their body.
- If your child uses a booster seat, make sure he or she uses it whenever they are in a vehicle, including with child care providers, grandparents, other parents, etc.
- Always make sure everyone is buckled up in your vehicle.
- Plan ahead – if you are carpooling, make sure every child has their own seat belt. If you don’t have enough seat belts per child, add another vehicle. Don’t take the risk of transporting a child without a seat belt.
As a North Charleston personal injury attorney , I’ve seen many cases where children are seriously injured in car accidents because they are not properly restrained in their seat. I urge parents to follow this advice and buckle up children every day this month and thereafter.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, contact a personal injury lawyer in North Charleston .