Our Anaheim products liability lawyers work with families whose children have been injured by all kinds of defective, dangerous, and unsafe products. That said, while it is the manufacturer's job to make sure that their products are safe for use, it is also important for safety regulators to make sure that they set high standards and recommendations for safety.
This week, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued its New Child Seat Guidelines. Rather than categorizing these guidelines by the type of safety seat child, NHTSA is now doing so by age to keep up with the newest child restraint technologies and latest research. The federal agency wants parents to keep kids in the restraint type recommended for each age until the child outgrows the car seat's height and weight limit set by the manufacturer. Hopefully, these new recommendations will decrease the number of California child injuries during traffic crashes.
NHTSA Recommendations for Car Seats:
12 months and younger: Babies should always be secured in a rear-facing car seat.
Ages 1 - 3: NHTSA says to have your child use a rear-facing safety seat until he/she exceeds the height/weight limit that the manufacturer has set. After that, a forward-facing car seat is recommended.
Ages 4 - 7: A child should use a forward-facing car seat with a harness until she/he outgrows the height/weight limit set. The NHTSA recommends a booster seat next.
Ages 8 - 12: A child should use a booster seat until he/she is grown enough to use a seat belt properly. Even then, it is best to only allow your child to sit in the backseat and not the front passenger seat.
Also revising its car seat recommendations is the American Academy of Pediatrics. AAP now recommends that kids age 2 and under use rear-facing child safety seats. It recommends booster use for kids age 8 and under.
Car seats and booster seats can save kids' lives during Anaheim car accidents. It can be devastating to discover that your child could have been saved if only his/her car seat did not malfunction or was not defective in another way.
Examples of child car seat defects:
• Poor construction
• Handle failure
• Separation of shell or base
• Harness defect
• Does not meet safety standards
• Flammable material
• Construction flaws
Car Seat Recommendations for Children, NHTSA (PDF)
Car Seat Guidelines Updated: Babies Ride Backward Until Age 2, Time, March 21, 2011
Related Web Resources:
Pediatrics
Recommended Car Seats, Consumer Reports
To schedule your free consultation, contact our Newport Beach products liability lawyers today.
