Friday, May 4, 2012

Does Your Child Still Need A Carseat?

Well, *I* think she's cute.

Many families assume that once their children reach a certain age they can transfer them out of their carseats. While in some cases, a parent can make that judgment and the child is plenty grown enough to make the switch, unfortunately there are more parents out there moving their kids off the seats way too early.

How can you find out what the carseat laws are where you live? On various websites you can locate this crucial information, as it does vary from state to state. One in particular is:


There you may scroll down the list of each of the United States, and it will display not only the specific height, weight and age requirements, but it will also display the current fines should you disobey the seating rules. Some states are certainly more strict over a few of the looser ones, but overall keeping the kids safe and in their seats properly is key.

Many are from the old thinking paths where they assume if the child is five years old or so, they can be in the car riding seat free. These laws have been changed for various reasons, the biggest is to prevent children from getting severely injured or even from death in an accident. It is never a wise idea to switch your child into a booster seat before you have revised the laws in your area. Not only can you be jeopardizing your child’s safety, but you can also get a hefty fine and even a court date in some towns.

Generally speaking, the laws are made to continue placing your child into a restraining booster until they weigh enough or at least are tall enough to withstand the impact of a potential accident. Face it, not all kids are the same size, some are five feet tall at ten years old, while others are much smaller. The seat belt is to be placed directly across the shoulder and chest, not just the lap portion.

Many parents give into the whining and complaining their children give them as a reaction from wearing the seats. You are the parent, the child is given rules to follow to keep them safe, not always to enjoy them. Think about this, every single year according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration there are around 2,000 children ages fifteen years old and under that die as a result of accidents. Additionally, 300,000 kids suffer from injuries as a result of not wearing the correct carseats. Imagine your child becoming paralyzed over the neglect of a carseat? Visit your local department store and ensure that your children are all sitting in the age appropriate carseats to avoid any unnecessary injuries.

4 comments:

  1. Great resource article, it was very informative. Thanks for the link to website, it helped answer some questions I had.

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  2. Because Zambia is a developing country they unfortunately do not yet have laws that make child seats mandatory. I'm sure many that read this may be surprised. However, I know that it is necessary to keep my son safe, so I utilize one always when we ride.

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  3. Well Krinsky you sound like a great mom. I was indeed surprised to learn that child seats aren't mandatory everywhere, but I am learning new things from comments like yours.

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  4. I learned a lot by reading this article and clicking that link you gave.
    I know what kind of car seat to use at this point with my daughter being 18 months, but I wasn't sure about for when she got older with the weight and age requirements and all that.

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