As a parent, every time you drive with your car in your vehicle, you are likely aware of the chance that you might be involved in a car accident and that this car accident could potentially kill your child. It is a terrifying thought, but fatal accidents involving children are all too frequent.
Keep reading to learn tips that can help reduce the chance of child car accident fatalities, and contact The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker at 800-333-0000 to request a free legal consultation if you have lost your child in this type of accident.
The Facts About Child Car Accident Fatalities
It is understandable that a parent would worry about this issue when driving with their child. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), motor vehicle accident injuries are one of the leading causes of death for children in this country. In the year 2017 alone, 675 children under the age of 13 died in car accidents, and more than 115,000 children in the same age group were injured in car accidents.
Buckle Up Your Children
The CDC finds that there are two main reasons that children die in car accidents. The first is not wearing a seatbelt. They found that between the years of 2009 and 2010, 35% of children under the age of 13 who died in car accidents were not wearing a seat belt. In 2017, they found that just over 50% of children aged 8 to twelve were buckled at the time of a car accident, while 64% of seven-year-old kids and 78% of children under four were buckled up.
Even in cases in which the children were buckled up, some fatalities occurred because the child restraint system was not properly used. As a result, you must be sure both to buckle up your child and to ensure that you are using the right child restraint system and using it correctly.
Do Not Drive While Intoxicated
The second most common cause for a fatal car accident involving a child is drunk driving. According to stats from the CDC, about one in five children under the age of 15 who died in car accidents were involved in accidents in which someone was drinking. In 65% of those cases, it was the driver of the vehicle with the child in it that was intoxicated. Do not drive after drinking, period, but especially do not do it while your child is in the car.
If you are involved in a car accident in which your child is killed, then you need the best legal mind to help ensure the at-fault party is held accountable. You can do so by calling The Law Offices of Larry H. Parker and requesting a free legal consultation at 800-333-0000. We are standing by to help you move forward from this tragedy.
