Car crashes are the leading source of serious and fatal injuries to children and studies have shown that most accidents (about 80%) happen 20 minutes or less from home.
Parents can reduce the risk of serious injury but following guidelines for age and size restraints. In fact the appropriate use of the correct type of restraint reduces the risk of injury to less than 2 percent.
Children of all ages must be safely fastened into a car seat. This is valid for ALL children from new born babies to teenagers. if your car doesn't have enough seat belts for everyone then children under 3 years of age get priority and must be fastened in first.
A baby can be placed in a carry-cot as long as it has hard sides and is correctly fastened and the child's head must be positioned to face the centre of the car. The level of protection is obviously greater in a car seat than in a carry-cot.
Booster cushions are comfortable for children in the 3 to 6 year old age group but must be fastened correctly. If the seat belt crosses the child's neck the cushion is too small and a seat belt adjuster should be fitted to the seat belt.
Children over 135cm tall can use the ordinary car seat belts.
Seatbelt facts: Properly wearing your seatbelts will dramatically increase your chances of surviving a car accident. Remember, your life takes the top priority at anytime, anywhere, whether you are going for a jog, walking to work, commuting or riding a bike, or driving in your car. When worn correctly, it will apply most of the force of the collision across the pelvis and chest -- the parts of the body which are more able to withstand the collision forces.
ReplyDeleteThelma Bowman