Most parents understand that when they have kids, they need to put them in a car seat. However, they may not know why these seats matter so much. They might realize they make a difference, but few think about what may happen if they use one improperly or decide to discontinue the use of one before doctors and automotive safety specialists recommend it.
Car seats reduce child injury risks by 82%, which means you should never neglect using one when you have a child who’s the proper size or in the correct age group. We’ll cover some of the child car seat basics in greater detail right now.
If you go back to 1971, you will see the first instance of The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration setting up a child car seat standard. This entity, highly respected by motorists even at that point, required drivers to have one with a three-point harness and a safety belt.
However, there wasn’t yet a law that required that adult drivers put their children in one. As you might imagine, many car wrecks occurred where a child sustained injuries because they didn’t have the requisite car seat with those features.
If we forge ahead to 1979, we see that Tennessee stepped forward and became the first state with child car restraint laws. In 1982, New York State passed one as well. This one mandated that drivers have kids up to age 8 in specially-made car seats.
In 1984, the NHTSA started pushing harder for national guidelines. They tried to implement both a child and adult set of rules to govern seat belt usage. Finally, in 1985, all 50 states had laws on the books that stated children must sit in the appropriate seats with restraints.
However, after all the states passed these laws, you would still see many children in cars that did not have the proper restraints for them. Research at one point showed that only 80% of children had a restraint system, meaning one in five adults didn’t think it was vital enough of a rule to follow. This same research showed that as many as 65% of kids weren’t using the restraints correctly even if adults took the regulations seriously.
As the years passed, though, and more child car seats started hitting the market, society made a concerted push toward putting kids in car seats and making sure the system had some standardization as well. Doctors talked to young parents more about them, and driving instructors would mention them in classes.
As we approach 2025, child car seat laws vary in each state, but all 50 states still have them. Every state and territory agree that children should sit in car seats, but the details don’t often add up. That’s why, if you ever take a road trip, you should look into the child car seat laws in the states that you’ll visit or pass through.
The requirements that exist today usually call on standards having to do with a child’s weight, height, and age. If you’re not sure about some aspect of your state’s child car seat laws, talk to your pediatrician about them.
They should have all of the latest information. They should also have some recommendations as far as what brands and particular models you should get.
There’s also no question that putting a child in a car seat works well. If you hit another car, or if a vehicle strikes you instead, your child will likely suffer much less harm if they’re in a car seat that restrains them.
That’s true with fender benders and less serious car wrecks, but also T-bone collisions, head-to-head crashes, and even rollover situations. Your child surviving becomes more likely if they’re in that car seat and you’ve restrained them with a seat belt with a shoulder harness.
If you decide not to put a child in a car seat, disaster might strike, even if you’re just taking a short drive around the block to the store or something that seems equally harmless. A car wreck can happen at any time, and the one moment you let your guard down, you might regret it.
Even something like a fender bender at a relatively low speed can cause a young child’s head and neck to snap back and forth, causing whiplash. That’s painful for adults, but it’s even worse when you have a child who’s not finished growing yet.
Their bones have not developed fully, so it makes sense that a relatively light impact might cause some real damage. The harder a car hits you, the worse the damage you might see to a child who’s young enough that they need a car seat.
You don’t want a car wreck to hurt your child, but that’s far from the only issue you’ll face if you neglect to put them in the proper car seat. You can also see serious legal ramifications.
If the court system finds out that you didn’t restrain your child properly, and a car wreck harmed them, they may say you’re negligent. You can face criminal charges if that happens.
You will likely feel very guilty that you didn’t follow the laws in your state and you hurt your child, but you can also end up in jail. If you didn’t put your child in a car seat, and a car hit your vehicle and killed your child, you may face a charge as severe as manslaughter.
If so, you’re looking at a double-digit jail sentence. It’s a grim thought, but you can avoid these possibilities easily. Just make sure to get the right car seat and strap your child in every time you take even the shortest car trip.
