Motor vehicle safety for children is an important issue, and there are numerous things you can do to help ensure their safety. Some of these features include air bags, Rearward Visibility, Sensor-based parking aids, Child safety seats, and more. Below, we look at a few of the most important rules that will help ensure the safety of your child while driving.
Rearward Visibility
Rearward visibility is an important aspect of vehicle safety. It can help drivers see other cars or pedestrians when reversing, and it can also reduce fatal backover crashes among children. The federal government is implementing regulations to make these improvements more widespread. The goal is to eliminate blind spots in vehicles and protect young children and people with disabilities. The regulations will affect all passenger vehicles and multipurpose vehicles under ten thousand pounds.
The rule is being rolled out in a phased manner, starting with ten percent of new models in September 2012, and increasing to 100 percent by September 2014. The rule is a fast-track solution to improving vehicle safety. In light vehicle backover crashes, small children make up 44 percent of fatalities. Older adults account for about one third of fatalities.
Sensor-based parking aids
Sensor-based parking aids are designed to help drivers make low-speed parking maneuvers. These systems are available in aftermarket versions. Typically, these systems detect the presence of a child pedestrian behind a vehicle. However, the range of these systems is limited.
These systems are usually linked to a camera or ultrasonic sensor. They can be set to activate automatically if the driver does not actively participate in parking. These systems also feature an audible alert when the driver has completed parking. They can be particularly useful for parents who need to drive with children.
Child safety seats – Abogados de Accidentes Santa Ana
It is important for parents and caregivers to know the correct way to use a child safety seat in a motor vehicle. It is also important to understand that some child safety seats are not compatible with all vehicles. Parents and caregivers should check the seat’s compatibility with their vehicle before purchasing it. When purchasing a second-hand seat, parents should read the label to see if it has been recalled. They should also check to see if the seat was involved in a crash.
While most parents believe that they have properly installed a child safety seat, the truth is that the majority of them don’t. According to a study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 73% of child safety seats are improperly installed. This can lead to serious injuries and even death.
Child safety seats in motor vehicles for children are equipped with harnesses that secure a child’s head and body to the seat. They also have head rests to prevent the child from slipping forward. There are also various models of rear-facing and forward-facing seats, as well as combination seats and all-in-one seats that can easily switch from rear-facing to forward-facing or from forward-facing to a booster. These seats may also use the LATCH system to secure them inside the car.
Air bags
Air bags are a vital part of motor vehicle safety for children. Children can be at higher risk for injuries due to their short stature, and vehicle seat belts do not fit all children. In addition, children should sit in the back seat of a vehicle rather than the front seat, since this is the most secure position.
The front seat of a motor vehicle is too close to the dashboard for an infant or a toddler to survive a frontal crash. This would cause the child to be thrown forward, resulting in serious neck and spinal cord injuries. Rear-facing child restraint devices are best for these situations, as they distribute force evenly throughout the body and support the infant’s head and maintain an open airway.
Studies have shown that side airbags are less likely to injure children, primarily due to their smaller size and lower deployment energy than the front air bags. Although there have been injuries caused by side airbags, they are rare and rarely fatal. One field study found no increase in the incidence of side airbag injuries among children under age fifteen.
Blind zones
Blind zones in motor vehicles for children are a common cause of fatalities and injuries. They prevent drivers from seeing children in the road, especially when backing up. The blind zones of larger vehicles are much greater than those of passenger cars. These vehicles also have thicker pillars, shorter rear windows, and higher rear decks, which can obscure children.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, larger blind zones are associated with more child deaths. In 2015, 366 children died in front-over crashes, while more than 15,000 were injured. The majority of these crashes occurred on private property, with only five fatalities on highways. A large portion of these crashes occurred on driveways.
The blind zone for the front seat of a vehicle is nearly 10 feet. In an SUV, the blind zone is even wider. When a driver has children in the car, the blind spot will be even bigger. In fact, in some cases, the blind zone can be 15 feet. For parents, this is a particularly dangerous situation, because blind spots make it impossible to see the child’s head.
Large SUVs have frontal blind zones up to 16 feet, so it’s hard for the driver to see a child in front of the vehicle. For this reason, standard back-up cameras in SUVs have been mandated by Congress and NHTSA, but these do not apply to the front of the vehicle. A new front-facing camera and sensor requirement could change that.
Car seat recommendations
The federal government requires all motor vehicle seats to meet safety standards, and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends the five-point harness child car seat, which restrains the entire body. However, not all seats fit all vehicles, and it is important to check for the correct fit. Also, consider the age of your child and the model of your vehicle when choosing a car seat.
For children younger than thirteen, it’s important to use a rear-facing seat. It is the safest place for a child, as they cannot be impacted directly. Still, this can be tricky to do. Many vehicles lack lower anchors in the middle seat, so you may have to install the child safety seat manually. If you’re not able to do this, don’t put your child in the front seat at all. Airbag force is too powerful for a child to fit in the front seat, and it could be fatal.
When purchasing a car seat, look for the manufacturer’s weight and height limits. These numbers will be printed on the seat’s packaging. Infants should remain rear-facing until they’ve reached the weight and height limits specified on the seat’s label. After that, they can face the front or back of the vehicle.
Non-crash incident situations
Children in front-facing seats exhibited higher rates of incapacitating injury than children in rear-facing seats. Despite these advantages, children in front-facing seats must remain restrained during crashes. The following tables present the incidence rates of incapacitating injuries in different child seat seating positions in front-facing crashes.
The most common places for children to be hit by a car are near schools, high traffic areas, and neighborhoods without designated public play areas. Children are also more vulnerable to crashes during low-light conditions. Children who are hit by a car are not only smaller but also have a different anatomy and physiology than adults.
When a crash occurs, the driver should remain calm, turn on his or her hazard lights, and call Abogados de Accidentes Santa Ana and 911. Then, the child should be checked by a pediatrician. The pediatrician should review the child’s medical records within a few days. If possible, the pediatrician should schedule a follow-up appointment and discuss the circumstances of the crash.