UK parents switching child seats too early
Parents in the UK are putting their children at an increased risk of injury in a road traffic accident due to the type of child seat they are using, according a study published in the British Medical Journal. Instead of using the recommended rear-facing child seats, parents are switching their children to front-facing child seats too early, leaving them exposed to the risk of a spinal injury in an accident.
Forward-facing and rear-facing child seats differ in the way they spread out the force of any car crash. In a rear-facing seat, the head, neck and spine are fully aligned so that the force from a crash is distributed over all of the body, which means the forces are not concentrated in any single area, which is how most soft tissue injuries occur in a car accident. A forward facing seat however puts the child at risk of a whiplash-type neck injury as the position of the child means that their neck and head will jerk forwards in any crash.
The study follows on from research done in the United States looking at children who had been involved in fatal or very serious road traffic accidents on US roads between 1998 and 2003. That research found that rear-facing seats were more effective at protecting young children from injuries in all types of car accidents. Those findings have been backed up by work in crash-testing centres which found that rear-facing seats resulted in significantly lower neck and chest injury measures compared with forward-facing seats.
Increased risk of spinal injury during car accident
One of those behind the British Medical Journal study was Dr Elizabeth Watson. Speaking to the BBC about the findings of her study, Dr Watson said: “Rear facing car seats cradle a child in an impact with any frontal component, and align the head, neck and spine, spreading the crash forces over all of these body areas. In a forward facing car seat, a child’s body is held back by the straps, while the head keeps moving forwards, and the relatively large head mass and differences in the cervical spine in young children can lead to excessive stretching of the spinal cord.” The experts who conducted the study advised parents to keep their children in rear-facing seats until the age of 4.
Every year Camps Solicitors help thousands of people injured in road traffic accidents on roads in England and Wales to claim the compensation they need to rebuild their lives. If your child has been injured in an accident then we can help you to claim compensation for their injuries, which can cover the costs of any specialist care they might need, as well as providing for any future medical costs that might arise.
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I admit, I have not been on this site in a long time… though it was another joy to see It is such great topic and ignored by so many, even professionals. I thank you to advice making people more conscious of possible issues.