Child Passenger Safety Week

The third week of September is Child Passenger Safety Week.  Its purpose is critical: to spread awareness of the importance of children’s safety and provide a necessary reminder about some of the most vulnerable people on the road.

At Stokes Stemle, LLC, we work every day to help both children and adults who have been injured in motor vehicle collisions. We understand the serious long-term consequences of traffic accidents, particularly for those who are still growing — and we’re here to stand up for their rights when they’ve been injured. From finding a doctor to handling the day-to-day stresses of a personal injury claim, we’re ready to help you and your child however we can.

Our car accident lawyers work to make getting legal help as stress-free as possible. Get answers to all of your questions in a free consultation. Call or use our online form to find out what we can do for you.

Alabama Child Passenger Safety Laws

Like all states, Alabama has clear child safety seat laws. TheAlabama Child Restraint Law sets clear guidelines for both children’s seats and seatbelts for older kids. The following are some of the central parts of the law by order of age and weight:

• Infants and toddlers should be put in rear-facing seats until they weigh at least 20 pounds or are one year old.
  
• Children under the age of five and under 40 pounds should ride in forward-facing seats and be secured with harnesses.
  
• Children under the age of six should ride in the back seat but use booster seats that face forward.
  
• Children under 13 but large enough to use seatbelts alone should ride in the back seat but aren’t required to.

These car seat rules also establish a system of compounding fines. And in cases where drivers habitually violate the law, the Department of Public Safety can assess points against the offending driver’s license.

Child Passenger Safety Tips

According to Stanford’s Children Health, there are several steps you can take to safeguard your children on the road. Some car seat rules for child safety include:

• Ensure that a child safety seat is installed correctly. Most people don’t install seats as instructed, and the result can be an increased risk of injury for children.
  
• Use a booster seat when your child is the right size. Booster seats help seatbelts work for small bodies, which can save children’s lives in an accident.
  
• Check that the seat is positioned correctly and in the back seat. In most situations, the rear center seat of the vehicle is considered the safest.

Although these tips are simple, following them can greatly reduce the risk of a child’s injury in an accident.

Contact Our Personal Injury Attorneys Today 

If your child has been injured in a car accident in Alabama, contact a Montgomery injury attorney at Stokes Stemle, LLC now. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to take your call and help you understand your legal options. For your free consultation, contact us now.