When we talk about the ultimate precious cargo transported daily by legions of Pennsylvania motorists, our readers at Quinn Law Firm know instantly what we’re talking about – our kids.
Every parent thinks about their children’s safety in behind-the-wheel situations, whether they are traveling along on a local street, negotiating slow-speed traffic, or moving at much higher speeds along a freeway or interstate highway.
State and national safety regulators periodically spotlight the importance of kids-in-cars safety protocols. September’s annual National Child Passenger Safety Week is a prime example of that. This year’s campaign kicked off on September 15. Although the initiative stresses vehicle-tied safety for all children, it especially emphasizes the key importance of our youngest children always being safely secured in age-appropriate restraint systems.
Pennsylvania has detailed rules on that subject. Children under the age of 2 must always be seated in a rear-facing car seat. Children less than 4 must also be in safety seats. In fact, special-seat requirements attach for every Pennsylvania adolescent up to the age of 8.
Hard empirical evidence supports the importance of these standards. Reportedly, fatal injury outcomes for Pennsylvania infants who are properly secured in transit drop by more than 70%. In recent studies conducted over a multi-year period, 80%-plus of all young children whose parents are in compliance with relevant laws in the state suffered no injuries at all when involved in a car crash.
Parents seeking information on in-car child safety or help with ensuring that their kids’ seats are correctly installed can contact the Pennsylvania Traffic Prevention Project, or their area Pennsylvania State Police Barracks for help in properly installing and using child safety seats: https://www.psp.pa.gov/public-safety/Pages/child-seat-checks.aspx
We wish you and yours a safe driving experience on Pennsylvania roads.
