There are four kinds of car safety seats for kids. Parents use these seats at different times during a child’s development. Important safety laws exist that govern the use of what kinds of car seats parents need to use at different times.
Let’s say you’re a mother of a small child and need to run a quick errand to pick up some milk for your favorite recipe. Even though the convenience store is only a couple minute drive away, the law says that you absolutely must put your child in a car seat – no ifs, ands or buts about it.
That said, sometimes a safety seat has design defects that result in injuries. Therefore, parents need to research any safety seat they purchase carefully.
Are you using the right seat?
New Jersey parents of young children must familiarize themselves with the car seat types described in this article. Parents can reduce the chances of injury or death in the event of a serious crash if they use the right type of safety seat. Here are the four types of safety seats:
- Rear-facing seats: This is a seat for a new baby will that faces the rear of the car. This seat will have a harness that keeps your baby in place, and it will affix itself to the car’s normal seat with the seatbelt. Because it’s rear-facing, the seat will cradle a baby in a forward direction crash. This serves to minimize the stress that can be put on a baby’s neck. Some rear-facing seats convert to forward facing seats, so parents can turn them around as the baby gets older. Usually, babies will outgrow their rear-facing, non-convertible seats at the age of 8 months.
- Forward-facing seats: Forward-facing car seats have harnesses and tethers that keep a child in place in the event of a crash. They limit the forward movement of the child. These seats are generally used for children who are older than 8 months. However, every seat has different weight requirements.
- Booster seats: When a child outgrows his or her forward-facing seat, it’s time to use a booster seat. A booster seat makes sure that the child is safely restrained by elevating the child’s position, so that the seatbelts do their job appropriately. Depending on the size of the child, a booster seat will be used until the ages of 8 to 12.
Not all car safety seats are created equally
Sometimes a child safety seat is more expensive than another one but i t is a less superior product. Other times, a booster seat has design defects and problems that make it dangerous. If your loved one has suffered injury due to a defective child safety seat, you may have the ability to file a personal injury lawsuit in civil court to seek financial restitution and justice.
