BUCKLING UP PROPERLY SAVES CHILDREN’S LIVES

Nevada law requires that children be properly restrained, but many parents and caregivers are not buckling up their kids. Experts recommend more rigorous guidelines than Nevada law necessitates, hoping to avoid more injuries and deaths. Over a hundred thousand young kids are injured each year in car accidents. Car accidents can cause injury or death even with proper restraints, and a Las Vegas car accident lawyer can help protect the rights of a child when an accident does occur.

Nevada Child Seat Law

Child seat laws vary state-to-state based on age, height, and weight requirements. Nevada laws require that any child under six years old that weighs less than sixty pounds must be restrained in an approved car seat.

Experts recommend that every kid is restrained in a rear-facing seat in the back seat until at least age 2. LATCH limits may apply. Parents should reassess how the car seat is installed on a regular basis.

Once the weight limit for rear-facing is reached, the child should ride in the car seat forward-facing. Kids are always safest in the back seat. Parents should follow weight and height requirements for the particular brand of the seat.

Infants who are too large for car seats should use a booster seat. Booster seats should be used until the child is big enough to sit properly in the seat using only a seat belt. They should typically use a booster until age 8 or 9.

Kids under the age of 13 should never ride in the front seat. The airbag can seriously injure or kill young toddlers if the seat belt doesn’t properly restrain them during an accident.

Statistics on Child Safety

Over 600 kids died in a motor vehicle accident in 2014. Many of these deaths could have been prevented. Of them who were killed in a crash:

• 45% of black children were not buckled properly
• 46% of Hispanic children were not buckled properly
• 26% of white children were not buckled properly
• 47% of children ages 8-12 were not restrained correctly
• 1 in 5 kid deaths involved drunk driving

States have stations set up where trained professionals can inspect a car seat installation. These professionals can also answer questions and guide parents to make the best decisions about their children’s safety while in a motor vehicle.