|
| |
REPLACEMENT
OF CHILD SAFETY RESTRAINTS AFTER AN ACCIDENT
An auto accident can
weaken the plastic and cause other damages to a child safety restraint
(CSR). An accident can cause unseen damage to the CSR and using it again
could cause serious injury or death.
Car seat manufactures
recommend that if a CSR is in an accident, it must be replaced. Even if the CSR
is unoccupied at the time of the accident, do not use it again! The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) delineates between replacement in high
speed impacts and low speed (9-10 mph) frontal impacts. For
guidance, please click
here to refer directly to the NHTSA high speed vs. low speed impact test
results.
CHILD
SAFETY LAWS FOR OHIO
The
info below is merely a guideline, it is a quick reference
to help you get an idea of what you might need. State laws are constantly
changing; therefore, IN NO WAY SHOULD YOU RELY UPON THIS CHART AS A
REPRESENTATION OF CURRENT LAW! If you want more
information, you can always check out www.nhtsa.gov
or www.highwaysafety.org.
These are great resources for everything related to car safety.
|
Child
Car Seat Chart
|
| Buckle
Everyone. Children Age 12 and Under in Back! |
| |
Infants
(Ohio Law) |
Toddler
(Ohio Law) |
Young
Children
(Ohio Law as of April 2009) |
| AGE
& WEIGHT |
Birth
to 1 year AND 20 lbs. or less. |
Over
1 year AND over 20 lbs. |
Over 40 lbs.
Ages 4-8
(unless over 4' 9").
|
| TYPE
of SEAT |
Infant
only or rear-facing convertible |
Convertible
/ Forward-facing |
Belt
positioning booster seat |
| SEAT
POSITION |
Rear-facing
only |
Forward-facing |
Forward-facing |
| ALWAYS
MAKE SURE: |
Children
to one year and at least 20 lbs. in rear-facing seats. Harness straps at
or below shoulder level. |
Harness
straps should be at or above shoulders. Most seats require top slot for
forward-facing. |
Belt
positioning booster seats must be used with both lap and shoulder belt.
Make sure the lap belt fits low and tight across the lap/upper thigh area
and the shoulder belt fits snug crossing the chest and shoulder to avoid
abdominal injuries. |
| WARNING: |
All
children age 12 and under should ride in the back seat. |
All
children age 12 and under should ride in the back seat. |
All
children age 12 and under should ride in the back seat. |
|
- If
you're unclear on anything at all, or if you want to be sure you get all
the details, you can also contact your state legislature here.
-
There are some "common sense" guidelines that you should
consider as well, such as never using an infant seat in the front
passenger seat when there's a working front airbag. If in doubt, put your
child in the rear seat and use a child restraint or booster until your
child has definitely grown out of them. It can't hurt.
-
One of the best things you can do is to contact the car seat manufacturer
of your choice, or flip through your car seat's manual. The seat
manufacturers are very interested in keeping your child as safe as
possible, so they will always have good suggestions about what kind of
seat to use and when. If you prefer to get your advice in live one-on-one
conversation, you can visit a car seat inspection station and talk to an
NHTSA-certified technician. To find an NHTSA-certified inspection station,
click
here).
|
LEGAL
HELP - HAVE YOUR CASE EVALUATED FOR FREE
E-mail us to have your case
evaluated by a lawyer. Most, but not all, cases will be
evaluated. See disclaimer page.
|
