Mum Shows Accident Photo To Highlight The Importance Of Car Seats

Editorial Team

A mum has shared a photo of her car after an accident, with two perfectly intact baby seats, as a reminder to parents about the importance of using appropriate restraints for their children. Jenna told ABC News she was driving her two sons Beckett, 2, and Brooks, 6 weeks, when she was involved in an accident.

The car was wiped out, but Jenna's sons miraculously walked away "completely unharmed". And she was lucky enough to sustain only minor injuries.

Alisa Baer, an expert in car seat safety, told ABC News it wasn't the first time she'd seen a child who was correctly restrained able to come away unscathed from a bad accident.

"We know car seats are very effective when used and even more effective used properly," she said.

Jenna said she's a "pretty relaxed parent" in many ways, but she never compromised on car seats. "I feel like it's such an easy thing that I can do to keep them safe," she said.

"I know that I would never be able to forgive myself if anything happened to my children because I didn't take the time to do something so simple to protect them. I don't think any parent could live with that."

Alisa Baer told ABC News there are four things that parents often overlook when it comes to car seats:

  1. Whether rear-facing to forward-facing or from five-point-harness to booster seat, it's important to follow guidelines for your child's age and height.
  2. Not using the tether strap – every forward facing car seat comes with a tether strap that secures the seat to the car. The strap reduces head movement and can be the difference between walking away and a severe head injury.
  3. Everyone needs to be buckled in, no matter where in the car they are. Even if children are safely buckled in, and unrestrained adult can act as a missile in an accident, injuring others in the car. People who don't wear seatbelts are three times as likely to die in an accident.
  4. Make sure the restraint fits snugly. Children need to be restrained effectively, not able to move around too much.

Jenna says it will be a while before she feels okay about driving with her sons again, but she thought it was important to share her experience. "I debated on sharing this photo but decided that if I could make one person think twice about buckling their child in then our accident would have a purpose."

Source: Essentialbaby 

Comments

Comments