What You Didn't Know About Child Safety Car Seats

By Ben Glass, Esquire

Benjamin W. Glass and Associates

. https://www.benglasslaw.com/

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What You Didn't Know About Child Safety Car Seats

The biggest fear of any parent is getting into an auto accident with your child in the car. Thankfully, car seats are safer than ever before, and there are clear and easy-to-follow instructions issued by organizations like American Academy of Pediatrics to help you decide which car seat is best for your child.

It is important to remember that each state has different laws regarding child safety seats. In Virginia, your child is required to use a booster seat until the age of 8. If your child is younger, you need to read the materials provided by the manufacturers of car seats and the safety guidelines of organizations like American Academy of Pediatrics and National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration.

If you are in a car accident while you child is in a car seat, you may need to replace your car seat. The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration states that a car seat must be replaced after a car accident if

If the car could not be driven away from the accident

If the door nearest to the car seat was damaged

If any passengers sustained injuries

If the airbags deployed

If there is visible damage to the car seat

If any of the above items are true, you need to replace your child's car seat.

As a father of nine (not a typo, I assure you), I know how much the life of a child means to a parent. Cars have gotten a lot safer in the past 20 years, but unfortunately at the same time drivers have gotten worse. Texting and driving is rampant. Car companies are beginning to sell in-vehicle wifi – as if there weren't enough distractions. And to top it all off, we have a generation of younger drivers with short attention spans and no sense of the potential damage a collision can cause.

Stay safe and stay alert out there it truly saves lives.