Car Seat Safety

By Author: Eliot Olivar
Total Articles: 9
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To parents with young children, nothing is more important than ensuring the protection and safety of their young child. Unfortunately, each year more than 272,000 injuries and 1,700 deaths occur to children under the age of fourteen as a result of traffic-related accidents. Traffic accidents are the most common cause of injury to children nationwide.Car seats are an important and effective safety device that has been shown to reduce fatal injuries to infants by 71 percent and to toddlers by 54 percent. All parents should (and are required to) use car seats and seat belts to help ensure the protection and safety of young children.

Under Wisconsin law, babies and toddlers are required to be placed in a rear-facing car seat until they are at least one year old and weigh twenty pounds.v Even though the law only requires children to remain in a car seat until they are one year old and twenty pounds, pediatricians often recommend the baby or toddler to remain in the rear-facing car seat until age two or older. Young children between the ages of one and four who weigh between 20-40 pounds should be seated in a forward-facing ...
... child seat.

After children outgrow their car seats, the next step is a booster seat. Children between the ages of four and eight, who weigh more than forty pounds, are required to ride in a booster seat, unless the child weighs more than eighty pounds or is taller than 4'9".viii The booster seat is used in coordination with the lap and shoulder belts, and the booster seat raises the child so the lap and shoulder belts fit correctly. The lap belt should fit across the child’s upper thighs or hips and the shoulder belt should be placed across the center of the shoulder. As compared to a child restrained only by a safety belt, effective use of a booster seat has been shown to substantially decrease the likelihood of a child suffering an injury in a car accident.

After reaching the weight of eighty pounds or the height of 4’9”, children are able to ride in the car free of seating devices, such as a car seat or booster seat. However, until the age of thirteen, children should ride in the back seat. Do your part to ensure the protection of your children and make sure they are seated appropriately while riding in a motor vehicle.

If you or a loved one has suffered an injury due to the negligence or fault of another person, call Gruber Law Offices, LLC today for your free consultation. There is no fee unless we win and we can meet you at a place that is convenient for you such as your place of work, hospital, home, or our conveniently located downtown Milwaukee office.

Speak with one of our lawyers right now by calling 414-276-6666 for a free initial consultation. "ONE CALL… THAT’S ALL!"

Nick Hermann a retail store for over ten years specializing in car accident attorney milwaukee and car accident injury milwaukee, car seat safety and educational toys. you can get for more information about car seat safety please visit our gruber-law.com website.