Protecting Children in a Car Accident

Parents spend hundreds of dollars buying the perfect car seat for their children. They take classes to learn proper safety techniques, secure the seats and expect their children to be safe. Unfortunately, many current car seats do not protect children from a T-bone car accident.

Children’s Safety Takes a Front Seat in Federal Regulations

New Side-Impact Car Seat Regulations

Federal regulators began to address this issue Wednesday, Jan. 22. The proposed rules would better protect children in car seats during side-impact collisions of up to 30 miles per hour. Up until now, federal regulations only cover how well a car seat can withstand a front-impact car accident.

Reducing Spinal Injuries in Children

More than 300 fatal car accidents involving children are reported each year. The new regulations will work to decrease this number by increasing the amount of impact a car seat can protect. Side-impact crashes cause injury in a myriad of ways. Not only can the door strike the child, but often the sheer impact causes the head to whip unnaturally, hitting the car seat or side window in the process.

New Car Seat Tests and Assumed Results

The proposed regulations will give manufacturers up to three years to alter or adjust their products to meet the new requirements. Consumers would then purchase a new model to replace the old. When testing, two types of crash dummies will be used, a 12-month-old model and a 3-year-old model. By testing both models, car seat makers can adjust for side-impact catastrophes such as crushed doors and rollovers. Many experts are encouraged by this step in the right direction to protect children from accidental deaths during a car wreck.