Protecting Children from Car Accident Injuries

 Posted on January 21, 2019 in Car Accident

On January 6, a car crash on Interstate 25 outside Colorado Springs sent three people to the hospital with severe injuries. The accident occurred when the car flipped on the roadway and ultimately crashed into a light pole. Of the passengers injured, one was a young child. For parents in Colorado, this accident serves as a reminder of the serious injuries young children can suffer in motor vehicle collisions. 

In 2016, 730 children under 13 were fatally injured in car crashes in the United States. That number is around half of the total number of children killed in car crashes in 1975, thanks largely to improved vehicle safety measures. Listed below are a few simple steps you can take to lower their risk of severe car accident injury. 

Proper Child Restraints in Vehicles

If you have young children who are too small to ride in a car without a booster seat, it is important to equip them with the correct size of a booster seat. If your child grows out of the booster, reassess and provide them with a new one until they are large enough to ride without one. In 2017, approximately 32 percent of all children who were fatally injured in motor vehicle collisions were unrestrained. 

Children Ride in Back Seat

With the influx of new safety information, more parents are driving with their children safely restrained in the back seat. Still, some parents allow their young children to ride in the front seat. For young children, airbag deployment alone can prove fatal. If all young children were placed in the back seat as recommended, we could lower annual child passenger fatalities by 12 percent. 

No Distracted Driving

As a parent, the best thing you can do to increase your child’s safety is to drive your vehicle in a safe manner. Distracted driving has become a crisis on American roadways and one of the most under-discussed forms is passenger distraction. As a parent, we always want to have eyes on our children, but taking your eyes off the road or hands off the wheel can be incredibly dangerous. 

Contact a Fort Collins Car Accident Lawyer

If you or a loved one are injured in a car accident due to the negligence of another driver, it is imperative you seek legal assistance as soon as possible. Severe car accident injuries can lead to costly medical bills, expensive physical therapy, and a substantial loss of work. At Hoggatt Law Office, P.C., our team is here to help you receive the injury compensation you require for a full recovery and to provide for your family. To schedule a free meeting with a Larimer County personal injury attorney, call us today at 970-225-2190. 

Sources:

https://www.krdo.com/news/car-accident-on-sb-i-25-in-colorado-springs-sends-three-to-the-hospital/968785354

https://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/child-safety/fatalityfacts/child-safety