As a parent, you recognize the inherent risks that come with transporting your children. After all, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, motor vehicle accidents continue to be responsible for roughly 25% of all unintentional injury deaths for children under the age of 13.
To help keep your kids safe, you should follow the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s recommendations for choosing size-appropriate car or booster seats. Still, where you choose to place your kids’ car seats inside your vehicle may make a considerable difference in their overall safety.
The danger of front seatback collapses
The internal mechanisms that keep your car’s front seats upright are probably weaker than you think. Even a low-speed rear-end collision may cause these mechanisms to break. If that happens, your front seats can fall backward. If your children are sitting behind you, the combined weight of your seat and your body may cause them to suffer catastrophic crush injuries.
The importance of placing your kids in a safe spot
Whenever it is practical, it is imperative to place your children’s car seats behind a vacant front seat, such as an empty passenger’s seat. This simple step reduces their crush risk, as you do not have to worry about the passenger’s added body weight.
If you have a small vehicle or regularly travel with an adult passenger, you simply may be unable to place your children behind a vacant front seat. Therefore, if one of your children suffers a serious injury in an accident because of a front seatback collapse, you may have to pursue financial compensation to ensure he or she receives effective medical care.
