CBS 5 reports that Arizona is one of 21 states that do not meet federal guidelines for booster seat safety, which can increase the risk of serious or fatal injury as the result of a Phoenix car accident.
Some 15 years ago, the National Transportation Safety Board called for child restraint laws that protected all children up to eight years old. Current Arizona law only covers children up to the age of 4.
“While we heartily applaud the eight states that enacted or upgraded child restraint laws in the past year,” said Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. “21 states and two territories still lack robust booster seat laws. This means that millions of children remain at risk of injury or fatality every day on our highways.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has declared Sept. 19 to Sept. 25 to be Child Passenger Safety Week, culminating in National Seat Check Saturday on Sept. 25. Our Phoenix injury lawyers encourage parents to make it a point to have their child safety seats inspected; even when you think you are in compliance, issues like the purchase of a new vehicle can change the effectiveness of a child safety seat.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently rated 72 car seats based on how well they fit 4- to 8-year-olds and how well they fit various automobiles. Twenty-one seats rated “Best Bets” while eight seats were not recommended.
“Unlike the top performers, consumers can’t assume boosters in the in-between group will work in every family vehicle,” said the Institute’s Anne McCartt. “Some may be fine, but parents still need to try them out to see if the lap and shoulder belts fit their kids correctly.”
Another danger in Arizona is leaving a child in a hot car. So far this year, 43 children have died as a result of being left inside a hot car, up sharply from the 33 deaths reported during all of 2009, according to San Francisco State University. Two of those deaths have been reported in Arizona, while Florida and Texas have led the nation.
Other dangers posed to children in an around vehicles include backover accidents, power window accidents, vehicle rollaways, seat belt entanglement and trunk entrapment.
If you have been injured in a traffic accident, contact the Phoenix accident lawyers at Abels & Annes for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights. Call (602) 819-5191 today.