Over the past five years, Québec children under the age of 15 have been injured more and more frequently in car accidents, even while serious road injuries and fatalities have declined across the wider population. Injuries increased around 8 per cent over that time, from 1,500 in 2012 to 1,700 last year, troubling legislators and car accident lawyers.
According to experts who spoke with CBC Montreal, improperly used car seats can be blamed for at least some of the increase. Québec’s auto insurance board, SAAQ, reports that approximately half of all child seats in the province are improperly installed, while certified car seat technician Angela Polyzogopoulos believes that number may be closer to 90 per cent.
Car accident lawyers are strong proponents of car seat and booster seat use because, as SAAQ spokesperson Mario Vaillancourt told the CBC, they can reduce injury risk by as much as 70 per cent when properly installed.
Booster seats vs. car seats
Car seats come in two varieties: infant or rear-facing seats, and convertible seats which can face the front or back. Rear-facing seats are for smaller, lighter children, usually include a handle for carrying, and generally snap in and out of a base installed in your car. Convertible car seats are heavier, and designed for slightly older children.
When a child outgrows their car seat, they will have to sit on a booster seat, which elevates the child in order for them to safely use the car’s built-in seatbelts.
Car seat and booster seat rules
Different jurisdictions have different rules for car seats and booster seats. In Québec, for example, children are simply required to ride in a car or booster seat until their seated height is at least 25 inches.
The rules in Ontario are more nuanced: children under 20 pounds must ride in rear-facing car seats and children under 40 pounds must ride in front-facing car seats. Children must also ride in a booster seat until they turn 8; reach a height of 4’9”; or weigh more than 80 lbs.
As car accident lawyers well know, booster seats are necessary because they prevent children from being harmed by cars’ seatbelts, which are designed for adults.
“Contrary to popular belief, the main purpose of a seat belt is not to keep people from being ejected out of a vehicle. It redirects crash forces to the strongest parts of the body, the hops and chest,” explained University of British Columbia doctoral candidate Takuro Ishikawa in an interview with the Globe and Mail. “Kids between 4 and 8 are too small and the seat belt usually ends up on their belly and across the neck. That’s redirecting crash forces to the internal organs or to the neck.”
In other words, small children who use seatbelts without a booster seat are at risk of serious internal injuries, including to their spleen, liver, and bowel.
If your child, or the child of someone you know, has been injured in an automotive accident, contact the car accident lawyers at Neinstein Personal Injury Lawyers today to learn how we can help.