Motor Vehicle Collisions and Child Fatalities Linked to Car Seat Problems

 Posted on November 23, 2017 in Personal Injury

If you have a young child who requires a car seat, do you know that you have installed the seat properly such that your child is less likely to sustain fatal injuries in a motor vehicle accident in Lombard? Most parents know their young children need to use car seats in order to stay safe and to abide by the law. However, according to a recent article in the chtribune, car seats are often improperly installed or parents use car seats that are not age-appropriate.

What does Illinois law say about car accident injury prevention and safety seats? And what can the recent article teach parents about promoting safety and preventing injuries in the event of a traffic collision?

Illinois Child Passenger Protection Act

Recognizing the severity of auto accidents in DuPage County and throughout the state of Illinois, legislators created the Child Passenger Protection Act (625 ILCS 25/). The statute explains that the law was written because the General Assembly determined that a significant number of passengers below the age of 8 riding in motor vehicles—vehicles which are most frequently operated by a parent—annually die or sustain serious physical injury due to not being placed in an appropriate child passenger restraint system. Indeed, motor vehicle crashes are cited as the number one cause of death for kids ages 4 to 14 years old.

The law clarifies that anyone who transports a child in Illinois who is under the age of eight years old in a non-commercial vehicle that has safety belts is “responsible for providing for the protection of such child by properly securing him or her in an appropriate child restraint system,” which is defined as “any device which meets the standards of the United States Department of Transportation designed to restrain, set, or position children.”

The law specifically requires the following:

• Children weighing 40 pounds or under in a car seat in the back seat;
• Children over 40 pounds who are eight years old or younger in the back seat restrained with a seat belt; and
• Children over the age of eight years old must be restrained in a seat belt but may sit in the front seat.

If an adult transports any child under the age of 18, that adult is responsible for ensuring that the child is properly restrained—either through a safety seat or with a seat belt.

Properly Installing Car Seats

Abiding by the law cited above is extremely important for preventing serious child injuries in auto accidents. At the same time, as the chtribune article underscores, parents also need to make sure that they are properly installing children’s car seats and that they are using the best type of safety seat for their child’s weight and height.

The following are types of car seats for kids, and they need to be used based on the child’s size:

• Rear-facing car seat (until the child is two years old);
• Forward-facing car seat with a five-point harness (until the child reaches the top height or weight limit for the seat); and
• Booster seat (until a child is of a height to safely wear a built-in seat belt).

Contact a Lombard Car Accident Attorney

Do you have questions about filing a car accident claim? A passionate DuPage County motor vehicle accident attorney can assist you. Contact Mevorah & Giglio Law Offices today.