Florida Needs to Strengthen Child Car Seat Laws

We’ve long known that motor vehicle accidents are the primary cause of death in children under the age of 14. During 2011 alone (the last year for which there is verifiable data), 650 children were killed in car crashes in the U.S. and another 148,000 were left injured. 1/3rd of these children were not fastened into car seats.

The AAA is not alone in its support for stricter child car seat laws in Florida. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Florida Emergency Nurses Association also support tougher standards. Furthermore, there is bipartisan support for such measures; in fact, a Republican State Representative in Florida is sponsoring an AAA-backed bill geared at fixing the law and saving children’s’ lives. His bill, if passed by the legislature and signed into law by the governor, would require that children be restrained by a car seat or a booster seat, while in a motor vehicle, through age 7 (or until the child reaches the height of 4’9’’).

The debate is a hotly contested one – should the government mandate how your children should be seated in your car, or should that decision be left up to individual families? We urge you to look at the evidence and draw your own conclusion, though we support new legislation that will toughen our state’s child car seat laws. Even the children of parents who are incredibly safe drivers can wind up in an accident due to the recklessness of another driver. In such an instance, a child restraint in a car, such as a car seat or booster seat, might mean the difference between life and death.

If you have any questions about this issue, or if you’d like to discuss any other personal injury related matter, please contact our dedicated attorneys at the Law Offices of Aronberg & Aronberg. You can reach us by calling 561-266-9191 or emailing us at daronberg@build.simple.biz.

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