As a parent with a minor child, it must feel like you are constantly finding ways to keep your child safe. Trying to figure out what accurately fits their developing needs may be overwhelming. While parenting flaws are understandable, you must also know that a simple car seat mistake can have fatal outcomes.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, you must consider relevant factors, like your child’s current weight and height, before purchasing a car seat. It will help you to choose the appropriate product by checking for specific safety features, such as anti-rebound bars and load legs. Doing so can protect them from the forceful impact of a car crash.
Buckling up your child correctly
Texas law mandates that every parent must secure their child in age-appropriate car or booster seats. The state provides guidelines on which child can use rear-facing, forward-facing and booster seats.
But the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reveals that although almost half of the parents nationwide confidently claim they installed their child’s car seat properly, they still get it wrong.
Some common car seat mistakes you must avoid include:
- Using an old car seat without reviewing its manual for instructions, and not inspecting whether it has suffered from an accident or was recalled for safety concerns
- Failing to place the car seat at the back and putting it in front where active air bags can be dangerous when inflated
- Adjusting the car seat at the wrong angle, risking your child’s head to lean too forward and not giving them enough airway during an accident
- Tightening the car seat insufficiently, possibly leading to loose straps and locks not enough to secure your child in a collision
- Dressing your child with bulky clothing, such as winter coats or suits, instead of placing a blanket over their buckled harnesses to keep them warm
Aside from avoiding these mistakes, consulting with a child passenger safety technician is an additional safety measure. They can provide professional assistance with questions unique to your equipment’s installation.
In certain scenarios, parents may have strapped their child correctly, yet leave them inside a hot car. NHTSA has recorded over 950 children dying of heatstroke in recent decades. Ultimately, NHTSA reiterates to make it a habit to check your child’s status while inside the car.
Planning your child’s next ride
Your child is inherently susceptible to danger as they are, but a car ride’s unforeseen circumstances make them doubly fragile. So, they depend on you for their safety. But even with your best intentions, you can still make erroneous decisions. If your car seat mistake eventually results in a catastrophic incident, your legal representative can aggressively fight for you to recover financial compensation for your child’s injuries and other losses.