According to the Centers for Disease Control, more children between the ages of 5 and 19 die from traffic injuries than any other type of injuries. In fact, every hour across the country there are 150 children, ages 0 to 19, who receive emergency department medical treatment for injuries caused by motor vehicle accidents.
In light of these alarming statitics, the CDC recommends the following steps to reduce injuries to children in the event they are involved in car accidents:
– Place babies in their car seats, facing backward, until the baby reaches 1 year of age and at least 20 pounds;
– Keep children in car seats until they are four years old and weigh at least 40 pounds;
– Keep children in booster seats until they are at least 8 years of age; and,
– Make all children ages 12 and under sit in the back seat of cars.
Some of these suggestions are already codified by Virginia law, such as in Articles 12 and 13 of Virginia Code section 46.2, but these suggestions go slightly beyond Virginia law by providing more detailed safety precautions depending on the age and size of the child in question. If you have small children, it is important to be vigilant about enforcing these standards in your automobiles at all times, even when you are taking short drives near your home. Although many accidents are preventable, it is always best to act prudently in the event other drivers are posing unnecessary dangers to you and your loved ones.
Jonathan T. Wren, the author of this post, represents injured clients as a member of MartinWren, P.C.‘s Charlottesville Automobile Accident Lawyers group. Jonathan also heads MartinWren, P.C.’s Charlottesville Personal Injury Lawyers group, and he also represents plaintiffs as a Charlottesville Slip and Fall Lawyer. If you would like to talk to Jonathan about this post or about a potential case, please contact him for at (434) 817-3100 or by email to [email protected] to schedule a free consultation.
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