Car accidents rank as the top killer of children under the age of 15 in America according to a study published by the New York Times in 2017. From 2010 to 2014, 2,885 children were killed in motor vehicle accidents. That is an average of 11 children a week.
Shockingly, that number does not include those that died in pedestrian, motorcycle and bicycle accidents. It also excludes those that were riding in a trailer or non-enclosed cargo area. Part of the study was conducted in Texas.
What Texas Child Safety Laws Say
Texas law requires that children should be properly secured in a child seat or should wear seatbelts. More than 39 percent of children that died in a car wreck were not properly restrained. In Texas children should sit in the back seat if they are less than 100 pounds or 57 inches tall (4 feet, 9 inches). Texas law requires that children under the age of 8 should be seated in the back seat safely secured in child safety seats.
For children under 1 year old, the Texas Department of Public Safety requires that they have a rear-facing safety seat appropriate to the child’s weight and height. You need to lock these infant seats into a base installed in the vehicle. Remember these seats may not do much to protect your child if they are not properly installed.
Children from 1 to 4 years old should have a larger “toddler seat”. However, the DPS only requires the seat to be rear facing if the child is below 2 years old. A “booster seat” is needed for children 4 to 8 years old to boost their height as they wear car seatbelts designed for adults.
Rural Roads
Texas State has thousands of miles of rural roads, which studies show are the most dangerous for children. The Federal Highway Administration indicates that two-thirds of child traffic deaths happen on rural roads. Drivers tend to drive faster on rural roads and these roads also have no lighting both of which increase the chances of accidents happening.
When accidents do happen it is often hard to get the victims to trauma centers on time because of distance.
Other resources may include “What to do if You Are in A Car Accident,” by Philadelphia Car Accident Lawyers. See also Slip & Fall Accident Attorneys – Philadelphia.
Types of Injuries that affect children
The most common injuries that children suffer in car accidents include head injuries and damage to the chest and lungs. Children under one usually sustain concussions but older children are more likely to have cuts, fractures and bruises. These injuries may cause death but if the child survives they may develop psychological disorders, reading disabilities and so on.
Use restraints like car seats because studies show they have a huge impact on limiting death and injury. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, securing children properly in car seats lowers risk of death by more than 70 percent for infants under 1. For children over 1 to 4 years old it lowered the risk by more than 50 percent. Parents that fail to properly secure their child may hinder their ability to recover damages if the child survives and may also be held liable for the child’s injury.
The post Texas Front Seat Law & Children Killed in Car Accidents first appeared on Texas Health And Life - Texas Lawyers Legal Aid.
