Feds Propose Upgrade Of Child Car Seat Side Impact Protection
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death to children ages 2 to 14 and the leading cause of injury-related death for children under 2. When installed and used correctly, child safety seats and safety belts can prevent injuries and save lives. Young children restrained in child safety seats have an 80 percent lower risk of fatal injury than those who are unrestrained.
Child safety seats reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants (less than 1 year old) and by 54 percent for toddlers (1 to 4 years old) in passenger cars. Young children restrained in child safety seats have an 80 percent lower risk of fatal injury than those who are unrestrained
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death to children ages 2 to 14 and the leading cause of injury-related death for children under 2. When installed and used correctly, child safety seats and safety belts can prevent injuries and save lives. Young children restrained in child safety seats have an 80 percent lower risk of fatal injury than those who are unrestrained.
Statistics, and practical experience make it abundantly clear that child restraint systems, also known as car seats, when used properly save lives. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death to children ages 2 to 14 and the leading cause of injury-related death for children under 2. When installed and used correctly, child safety seats and safety belts can prevent injuries and save lives. Young children restrained in child safety seats have an 80 percent lower risk of fatal injury than those who are unrestrained.
In an effort to continue the progress we have made in this country, on January 22, 2014, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) made proposals that will take the standards for child-restraint systems to a new level. The proposed child car seat side impact protection regulations intend to protect children under 40 pounds from the devastating effects of side crashes.
The proposed tests for new car seats will simulate a side-impact vehicle crash and vehicle and car seat makers will have to demonstrate they can safely restrain a child by preventing harmful head contact with an intruding vehicle door and reduce the crash forces transmitted to the child’s head and chest.
Car and safety seat manufacturers will have a 3-year timeframe to make any necessary changes to meet the proposed requirements when the final rule is published. The staff at Phillip Miller & Associates believe that new regulations on child car seat side impact protection will save children’s lives.
