Parents often rely on cars to get children to school, appointments, and activities. In fact, most children in Hollywood and South Florida are driven around in cars every day. Parents may not consider it, but for many kids this is the most dangerous activity they take part in.
Car accidents in Hollywood and other communities can cause serious injuries and fatalities to child passengers. Since children are smaller and are still growing, serious injuries can affect them and their development more than similar injuries might affect adults.
If you have a child, there are several steps you will want to take to keep your child safe:
- Consider where else your child may be in a car: When your child is being driven around by grandparents or caregivers, do those cars have the right safety restraint systems? Are caregivers and family qualified drivers who use safety systems correctly? It is appropriate to refuse to have your child as a passenger in any car with an unsafe driver.
- Teach your child passenger safety: Make sure your children learn from an early age not to lean out of their seat, stick their hands out of the window, distract the driver, or otherwise engage in behaviors that can cause injury or a crash.
- Keep the car clean: This may not have anything to do with child passenger safety, but consider that every item in your car becomes a projectile in the event of a crash. A briefcase, toy, laptop, and any other object may be flung with force around the car in a collision, causing serious injury to your child.
- Keep children in the back: The back seat enjoys the largest crumple zone and protects your children best. Even if your kids are aged out of baby and child seats, having them seat in the back gives them the best protection in the event of a collision.
- Use safety features of your car: If your car has safety locks and other features to keep passengers safe, use then. If you are shopping for a new car, seek out a vehicle with strong safety features and a good safety rating.
- Insist on seatbelts for older kids: As children get older and they make their own decisions, make sure they wear their seatbelts each time they get in the car. Be a good passenger role model for them by always wearing your seatbelt and driving sober and courteously.
If you or your child have been injured in a car accident anywhere in South Florida, contact Flaxman Law Group at 1-866-352-9626 (1-866-FLAXMAN) for a free accident consultation with a Homestead car accident attorney.