Sen. Bill Dodd Passes Child Passenger Safety Week Resolution
Sen. Bill Dodd, the state senate representative for California’s third district, passed a resolution on Tuesday, September 17, 2019, in order to promote the safety of child passengers in vehicles. The resolution declared the third week of September to be “Child Passenger Safety Week” and aims to help parents and guardians understand the value of making sure that booster seats are properly installed and used while transporting small children.
Sen. Dodd stated that installing booster seats the right way “can save lives,” noting that his hopes for the program are to raise awareness and “prevent the future tragic loss of life” due to improper use of child safety seats.
Child Passenger Safety
Vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of death and injury among children in the United States. The American Automobile Association has estimated that somewhere around 90 percent of vehicle child restraints are either not properly installed or are incorrectly used. Furthermore, data shows that an estimated 70 percent of small children who lost their lives in car accidents would have survived if they were properly restrained in a safety seat prior to the crash. While most people are aware that their children are safer when restrained in a booster seat, studies suggest that nine out of ten parents do away with child safety restraints before their child is large enough to be safe without them.
The Resolution
The child passenger safety week resolution was sponsored by several organizations, including the Automobile Club of Southern California, AAA Northern California, and various public safety advocates. Mike Blasky, a spokesman for AAA Northern California, told reporters that buying a booster seat is important, but “only the first step in child passenger safety” and added that proper installation is critical. Blasky also announced that AAA encourages parents and guardians to visit one of their local branches in order to receive a professional car seat safety inspection free of charge.
Child Seats and Product Liability
When people are injured in car accidents, parties who failed to uphold a duty of care to ensure the safety of others can be liable to pay for damages. This means that car seat manufacturers who don’t ensure that their products are safe can be financially responsible for paying families for things like hospital stays, surgeries, ambulances, emotional trauma, and other damages related to injuries that could have been avoided.
Common dangerous car seat defects include:
- Base separation
- Flammable materials
- Failure to lock in place
- Weak frame, base, or handlebars
- Sudden release
- Damaged or inadequate harnesses
While these defects are dangerous, not many people know how to look for them and may never discover that they had bought a dangerous product. This is why it is important to have a lawyer who can look into your case for you and determine if defective products caused any injuries.
More Blogs by Vacaville Personal Injury Lawyer, Ed Smith
- Vacaville Residents Die in Car Accident
- Defining Vacaville Personal Injury Lawyers
- Motorcyclist Identified After Deadly Vacaville Crash
Vacaville Personal Injury Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Vacaville personal injury lawyer. Vehicle accidents often change people’s lives. If a collision injury has affected your life, please give me a phone call to get free, friendly advice about your situation. I can be reached toll-free at (800) 404-5400 as well as locally at (707) 564-1900.
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