Motor Vehicle Safety -
Identifying High-Risk Situations
With proper precautionary measures, such as the proper use of
age-appropriate child safety seats, most unintentional injuries and
unintentional injury-related deaths can be prevented. Children can get
hurt when parents or caregivers do not properly restrain them when riding
in a vehicle, or are unaware of the dangers associated with certain motor
vehicle situations. High-risk situations may include, but are not limited
to, the following:
- lack of the use of child safety restraints or improper use of safety
restraints in motor vehicles
- improperly used or installed child safety seats
- placing children in front of passenger seat airbags (either in an
infant safety seat or sitting facing forward)
- allowing children to ride in the cargo areas of pickup trucks
- trunk entrapments
- leaving children unattended in cars
Use of safety restraints in motor vehicles:Physically, children are smaller than average adults. Their
smaller size means that the standard safety belts in motor vehicles do not
properly fit to protect children's bodies.
One age group, from 4 to 8 years of age, is especially at risk for
improperly using safety belts in motor vehicles. According to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), children do not fit in adult
shoulder/lap belts (without a booster seat) until they are 58 inches tall
and weigh 80 pounds.
However, children between the ages of 4 to 8 years who have outgrown
their child safety seat often are placed too soon in adult lap/shoulder
belts without a booster seat. Unfortunately, it is estimated that only
five percent of children in this age group are properly restrained with
booster seats in motor vehicles.
Use of child safety seats:Many people think they have installed their child safety seat
correctly and believe they are using it properly. However, National SAFE
KIDS Campaign Car Seat Check Ups prove differently. As many as 85 percent
of child safety seats are found to be improperly installed and/or used
when vehicles are stopped and checked. A child can suffer injuries or
death in a motor vehicle crash if the child safety seat is not properly
installed or used.
Some of the most common mistakes in installing or using child safety
seats include the following:
- safety belt not holding the seat in tightly and/or not in locked
mode
- harness straps not snug and/or routed correctly
- harness retainer clip not at armpit level
- locking clip not used correctly
- car seat recalled and not repaired (includes booster seats)
- infants placed rear-facing in front of an active air bag
- children turned forward-facing before reaching 1 year of age and 20
pounds
Parents and caregivers should carefully read their vehicle owner's
manual and the instructions that come with the child safety seat to ensure
proper installation and use of the seat. Some child safety seats are not
compatible with certain vehicles - try the child's safety seat in your
vehicle before you purchase it. Also, place your child in the child safety
seat before purchase, to ensure proper fit.
The danger of airbags:Airbags, when properly used with the vehicles' lap/shoulder
belts system, can save adult lives. However, airbags can increase the
danger to a child's safety.
When infants in rear-facing child safety seats and children who are
unrestrained are placed in the front seat with an airbag, they may be too
close to an inflating airbag in the event of a crash. An airbag will
inflate at speeds up to 200 mph, which can hurt passengers who are too
close to the airbag. In addition, because of the child's size, the airbag
can strike him/her on the head or neck, resulting in serious or fatal
injuries.
To ensure your child is as safe as possible in a vehicle, never place
him/her in front of an airbag. The safest place for small children riding
in vehicles is the rear seat, away from the impact of head-on crashes. If
your child must ride in the front seat, move the seat as far back as
possible, away from the airbag. If the car has no back seat, infants will
only be safe in their rear-facing child safety seats if the vehicle has no
airbag, or if the airbag has been switched off (an option in some
vehicles).
Riding in the cargo area of trucks:Pickup trucks, although popular vehicles, may not be as safe as
other vehicles for small children. Limited cab space often leads to
parents letting their children ride in the cargo area. However, riding in
cargo areas increases the risk of dying 10 times when involved in a
collision, compared to other types of collisions, according to the US
Department of Transportation. Ejection (being thrown out) from the cargo
area is the main cause of injury and death for cargo passengers. More than
half of the deaths that occur among people riding in pickup truck cargo
beds are children and teenagers. Covered cargo areas, too, can pose a
danger to children because of carbon monoxide poisoning from exhaust
fumes.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is
campaigning for stricter passenger safety laws nationwide for passengers
riding in pickup trucks. Currently, only 24 states prohibit child
passengers riding in
open beds of pickup trucks. To protect your
children, the NHTSA recommends that children never be allowed to ride or
play in cargo areas of any vehicles.
Trunk entrapment:A child's nature is to explore his/her surroundings.
Unfortunately, this exploration can place a child in danger. Unintentional
trunk entrapment, when children lock themselves in a trunk, can be fatal -
between 35 and 40 percent of children ages 14 and under who accidentally
lock themselves in a trunk can die due to hyperthermia (heat stroke)
and/or asphyxiation (suffocation).
To prevent unintentional trunk entrapment, teach your children not to
play in and around vehicles. Always lock the vehicle and keep the keys
away from children. Carefully watch your young children when they are
around vehicles. Keep rear fold-down seats closed inside the vehicle.
Certain automobile manufacturers now include escape releases or sensor
systems in trunks. However, small children may not know how to operate
these.
Leaving children unattended in cars:As tempting as it may be to run a quick errand, leaving
children unattended inside a vehicle, "even for a minute," can be
dangerous. When left unattended, children may be able to start the vehicle
or put the vehicle in neutral. In addition, heat build-up or dangerously
cold temperatures inside a vehicle can quickly become fatal to children.
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