Child Safety For Kids Riding In Cars

[ks8829]

There are safety requirement for kids riding in cars. Please view the link below and make sure your child is riding safely in your car

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/portal/site...0811060008a0c/


My daughter is 9 years old but she still rides in a booster seat in the back seat because she is not yet 4 feet 9 inches tall and the adult safety belt will not protect her correctly in case of an accident. I see many children who are shorter than 4' 9" tall not using booster seats.

[Big_M]

I am just curious, but what provoked this post?

my first thought was too toss out a sarcastic joke, but if some tragedy is the reason for this post I don't want to be insensitive.

[ks8829]

I see many of my daughters classmates, well educated, professional and loving parents who let their child ride without booster seat and potentially putting their child in harms way if they were in a car accident.

[Jay-Bird]

Isn't everyone in harm's way in an accident?

Isn't it strange that we have such stringent child-safety regulations for our cars - but we're still allowed to hold our less than two-year-old children on our lap on flights ?

[zeg]

Isn't everyone in harm's way in an accident?

It's a bit odd, but I think the statistics are very different. There are hundreds or thousands of car accidents each day where a car seat can make a diference. Airplane accidents or turbulence that results in an injury to a lap infant are relatively rare. Coupled with the expense of a ticket for a child and the PITA factor of getting an infant seat onto the aircraft (especially now in the midst of the knee-jerk enhanced security BS), I think the cost-benefit is different.

[iacas]

Isn't it strange that we have such stringent child-safety regulations for our cars - but

Completely different situations. When's the last time one plane didn't notice another plane stopped in mid-air and rear-ended it? Or swerved rapidly to avoid hitting a flying deer and ran into a floating tree?

[Jay-Bird]

Completely different situations. When's the last time one plane didn't notice another plane stopped in mid-air and rear-ended it? Or swerved rapidly to avoid hitting a flying deer and ran into a floating tree?

Not deer, geese!

And - have you ever experienced unexpected/unannounced turbulence on a non-so-big-ol-jet-air-liner? I've hit my head on the ceiling on a commuter WITH the seatbelt on. Try that with a lap baby... Most injuries on airplanes (not crash related) take place during flight...

[ks8829]

Here's another link that talks about booster seats

http://childparenting.about.com/b/20...eat-safety.htm

Happy safe New Year to everyone and every child!

[Fat Slice]

According to the latest research from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, while 99 percent of children up to 1 year old are restrained, almost 80% of child safety seats are used incorrectly .

Here are some more tips:

http://www.edmunds.com/advice/womenf...1/article.html

If your kid gets hurt in an accident because you didn't have the seat setup properly, you're going to feel too guilty to play golf. That, and you'll have a messed up kid. I know I setup my baby's seat properly but I still check it from time to time.

[zeg]

According to the latest research from the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, while 99 percent of children up to 1 year old are restrained,

I see this statistic again and again (sometimes as 80%, sometimes as 90%) and all I can say is that, while I'm sure many people install their seats incorrectly, I'm very skeptical that it's really as bad as that. Regardless, the link is useful so thanks for posting it.

[banghao123]

products, as well as good beer. I'm ok with actually drinking the wine, but if I'm doing something wrong, someone fill me in. I've been practicing the perfect whiskey "lift

[immts007]

I miss the days when I was 5 years old and rode in the truck bed with my brothers and the dog.

[Hoovedawg]

Im all for being safe, but...

I was 4' 9" when I was a freshman in high school. Do you really think I should have been sitting in a booster seat, in the back seat of the car, when I was 14? (btw Im normal now- 6')

I feel like people are going crazy with safety stuff. Im not saying we need to throw our 3 year old on the roof of the car but people need to relax a little bit.

People are the same way about guns. They act like if you own a gun, you will either kill yourself, or someone else. As long as you dont act stupid, its not dangerous. Im in a gun club and during tournaments there are dozens of people with all kinds of guns and thousands of rounds of ammo. But the accident rate at these types of events are extremely close to 0.

People need to chill out, but at the same time, not act stupid.

[zeg]

Hooverdawg, if you're short enough that a shoulder belt doesn't fit across your shoulders properly, you probably should be using a booster, regardless of age. "Not being stupid" is not going to provide you any protection when someone else decides to act stupid on your behalf, comes across the median, and smacks into you head-on. If the safety equipment in the car is not appropriately-sized for you, then you need to adjust it somehow. This isn't paranoid protectionism running rampant, it's just basic common sense.

[Hoovedawg]

You can do whatever you want to do, but dont try to act like Im not as smart because I dont want to be riding in a booster seat. So I guess a 40 year old woman who's 4' 9" should be riding in a booster seat, and shes stupid if shes not.

To me that is paranoid protectionism. I dont care if you want to ride in a booster seat, but chastising someone else for not wanting to crosses the line.

[zeg]

I didn't chastise anyone, and I didn't call anyone stupid.

So I guess a 40 year old woman who's 4' 9" should be riding in a booster seat

If you're bothering with a seat belt, you need one that is safe and effective. I'm not sure what the design criteria are and how tall you need to be to be safe in the seat belt, but once you're old enough that your neck muscles have caught up with the size of your head, your age has no impact on whether the seat belt is effective. So if it's unsafe for a 4 foot 8-year-old, it's unsafe for a 4 foot 18-year old and it's unsafe for a 4 foot 48-year-old. Personally, I think it would be extremely foolish to rely on a safety belt that doesn't fit when a simple adjustment to the car seat could save your life.

[ks8829]

The bottom line is ask any Emergency nurse about children without booster seats in auto accidents and the look in their face will say it all. 99% of the time your driving everything is fine but its the 1% when someone runs a red light or is a drunk driver hits you head on and your child needs the seat belt to do its job you will be glad they are in a booster seat to keep them in the seat and not a projectile going through the windshield.

[Shanks A Million]

Completely different situations. When's the last time one plane didn't notice another plane stopped in mid-air and rear-ended it? Or swerved rapidly to avoid hitting a flying deer and ran into a floating tree?

You've never seen my grandmother fly a plane...