Children In Adult Seat Belt Dangers can Kill your Child in an Accident

Over 500 children a year are killed because they are either unrestrained or effectively unrestrained because of poor belt fit and improper restraint.

Most parents allow their children to stop using any form of child seat after age four. These parents are making a potentially life altering mistake.

Unless a child can meet the following criteria, they need to stay away from adult seat belts:

  • They are tall enough, so that, their legs bend at the knees at the edge of the vehicle’s seat when seated.
  • They are mature enough to remain seated with their backs flat against the back of the seat (no slouching).
  • The lap belt sits high on the thighs or low on the hips.
  • The shoulder belt crosses the shoulder and chest.
  • The latch plate is as far as possible from the occupant center line.
  • The child weighs at least 80 lbs; and · The buckle is close to the child’s hip.
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Children between the ages of four to eight are typically less than 48 inches tall and under 80 lbs. A child this size is exposed to a high risk of severe injury or death because they are strapped into adult safety belts that are designed to protect adults, not small children.

In what ways does an adult seat belt not fit a child properly? What injuries can occur because of this improper belt fit?

Due to improper belt fit, children are also susceptible to rolling out of the shoulder belt. This exposes the child to potential head, internal organ and spinal injuries. For more information download our guide book for children safety at https://vehiclesafetyfirm.com/cm/custom/toccrashworthiness.asp.html

Contact us online, or, call us today at 214-324-9000 if you or your loved ones are seriously injured in an accident. AT THE TRACY FIRM, TRIAL LAWYER E. TODD TRACY ADVOCATES for safer vehicles that result in fewer fatalities and less serious bodily injuries following an accident. To deliver this vision, his firm sues vehicle, component part, and child seat manufacturers when they fail to protect innocent victims of vehicle accidents by not making their products safer.

Source:

Child Safety Attorney

E. Todd Tracy
Dallas TX

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