CAR ACCIDENTS IN US: Children & Car Accidents; the Alarming Statistics

By far the most common type of injury accident [1] involving children
are those that also involve motor vehicle collisions. According to the
National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA), nearly 250,000
children are injured every year in car accidents [2].

This means that on any given day nearly 700 children are harmed due to
accidents [3] on our roadways. Of the 250,000 kids injured each year,
approximately 2,000 die from their injuries. Children make up about 5%
of total fatalities due to car accidents [4]. In fact, for children
between the ages of 2 and 14, motor vehicle accidents [5] are the
leading cause of death.

Car accidents [6] are also the leading cause of acquired disability
(e.g., brain injury, paralysis, etc.) for children nationwide. And
approximately 20% of the children who die in a car accident [7] each
year are killed in accidents [8] involving a driver who is legally
intoxicated. Nearly half of these children were killed while riding as
passengers in an automobile driven by an intoxicated driver.

The failure to wear a seat belt or use a child safety seat is a
contributing factor in more than half of the cases involving children
who die in car accidents [9]. Not only is an unrestrained child a
potential distraction to the driver of the vehicle, but also the
failure to wear a seat belt dramatically increases the chance that a
child will suffer much more serious injury and death.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA), at least 72% of the 3,500 observed child vehicle safety
restraints were being used incorrectly. When that happens, the risk
that the child will suffer an injury or more severe injury rises even
more. NHTSA estimates that a properly installed and used child safety
seat lowers a child's risk of death by 71% for infants and by 54% for
toddlers ages 1 to 4.

Every state requires the use of approved child safety seats for
children under the age of 5. According to NCSA there is only a 90%
compliance rate with respect to using approved safety seats for
children under this age. Notably, a recent study found that a key
factor influencing the increased risk of harm to children in accidents
[10] is when the child is prematurely moved from a child restraint
system up to an adult seat and then allowed to sit in the front seat
too soon (source: Partners for Child Passenger Safety Fact and Trend
Report, 2006.)

Christopher M. Davis is a Seattle attorney focusing on personal
injury and car accident [11] cases. He is known for his special focus
on cases involving children and has written the the book 'Little Kids,
Big Accidents [12]' as a resource for parents of injured children. You
can learn more about Mr. Davis by visiting his website at
http://www.DavisLawGroupSeattle.com.

CAR ACCIDENTS IN US

Chủ Nhật, 3 tháng 10, 2010

Children & Car Accidents; the Alarming Statistics

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