Preventing Child Car Accident Injuries and Fatalities

Car accidents can impact anyone regardless of age, but children and teens are particularly susceptible to serious injuries and death when involved in crashes. According to the Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System , car crash injuries are one of the leading causes of fatalities among teens and children in the United States. With just a little bit of care and attention to the problem, though, drivers can prevent the majority of these collisions from occurring in the first place.

If you or a member of your family sustained injuries in a car crash, the financial implications may be overwhelming. At the Churdar Law Firm , we help people who are suffering from injuries caused by negligent drivers, and we may be able to recover costs associated with your medical treatment or time off work.

A specialist Greenville personal-injury lawyer can look through your case and determine if you may have a valid claim against the negligent driver. Call us today at 864-233-0203 to schedule an appointment, and read on for more information on how to keep children safe.

Reducing Risk for Children of All Ages

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , the best way to reduce the risk of injuries to children is to buckle them in or use the appropriate booster or car seats. According to the CDC, research indicates that car seats reduce the risk of dying in a car crash for children under the age of 1 by 71 percent and by 54 percent for toddlers between 1 and 4 years old.

For older children between the ages of 4 and 8, a booster seat also significantly reduces the risk of injury. Older children who are big enough to ride without a booster seat will benefit from regular seatbelts, and the correct usage of seatbelts can reduce the risk of serious injury or death by 50 percent.

Risk Factors

There are several risk factors for young passengers in vehicles, and according to a study by the CDC, drivers buckled up more white children than black or Hispanic children. Coupled with this, parents and drivers did not buckle up many older children, and the study found that up to 45 percent of children between 8 and 12 are not restrained.

Alcohol is also a significant risk factor in child safety in cars, and drunk drivers cause as many as 1 in 5 child road deaths. Drivers did not buckle up 61 percent of children who died in drunk driving accidents between 2001 and 2010.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also notes that parents do not use child restraint systems correctly. One study found incorrectly fitted booster and car seats in 72 percent of observed cars.

It is impossible to account for all eventualities on the road, but it is important to make sure that you take adequate precautions to protect your children. In the event of a serious crash, call the Upstate Lawyer at 864-233-0203. A Greenville accident attorney can examine the circumstances surrounding your crash and advise you on how best to proceed.