Posts Tagged ‘Car Seats’

Just before noon last Saturday, The Tennessee Highway Patrol responded to a Nashville car
accident that took the life of an innocent 4 year old child, and the driver of another car that was
involved. Authorities say that a 28 year old woman was driving a black Honda south on
Nolensville Road when she lost control of her car, and veered into oncoming traffic, causing
the fatal car crash.

According to the State Troopers, she had clipped two cars, then inevitably
crashed head on into another car. Five vehicles were involved in the end. The sweet little girl was
thrown from the back seat of her mother’s Nissan Maxima. She was pronounced dead on the way
to the hospital.

The driver of the Honda, we are told, may have been under the influence of alcohol,
as the investigators found alcohol bottles inside her car. She was pronounced dead on arrival.
Neither the driver of the Honda, nor the little girl were wearing seat belts. The mother of the
toddler was transported to Vanderbilt Hospital, where her condition is now unknown. The driver
and passenger of one other car were arrested for leaving the scene of a car accident, and not having
a valid license.

Certainly, this little girl should have been in proper restraints but she would be alive today but for the irresponsible behavior of the drunk driver.  Drunk drivers cause car wrecks in Nashville and Tennessee on a daily basis. Let’s not blame the victim.

1-800-377-HURT (4878)

www.seriousinjury.com

Car crashes and auto accidents where children are involved can be catastrophic. In a study published in Pediatrics, researchers studied more than 7000 crashes and found that children who were in a booster seat were 45% less likely to be injured than children who were in seat belts alone. The greatest reduction in injuries was in side impact collisions. While the overall reduction in injury risk was 45%, for nearside collisions the use of a booster seat reduced injury risk 68%. Booster seats are required (in most states) for children between the ages of 6 and 8. This study suggests that there is no difference (from a safety performance standpoint) between booster seats that have backs and those that do not have backs. Some older children in this range may think a backless booster is more acceptable than a booster that may resemble a child seat for a younger child. While your 6-8 year old may want to be “grown-up” and just use a seat belt, it is clearly a choice they should not be allowed to make. For information about child seat guidelines and airbag risks to children, click here.