Georgia Injury Law Blog
Ride-sharing services have grown exponentially in popularity. However, many passengers who ride in these vehicles often neglect to practice safe riding practices. This also goes for parents riding with their children in ride-sharing vehicles.
Car safety seats are the single most important means of protection against serious injury or even death for children in an accident. However, many parents neglect to use these safety features when they are travelling in an Uber or a Lyft.
According to a new study, most parents who otherwise use car safety seats to protect their children fail to do so when they are travelling with children in a ride-sharing car. Those findings come from a recent study and have left researchers seriously alarmed because car accidents are the single biggest factor causing death among children below the age of 10 in the United States. Using car safety protection is a significant factor that can help keep children safe while travelling.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children be restrained in a car seat till they are old enough or heavy enough to be moved to a booster seat. In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children ride in the back seat and be restrained in a rear-facing car seat, at least until the child reaches the age of one, or as long as is possible. Once the child grows out of the rear-facing car seat, he can be moved to a front-facing car seat, and should be restrained in a car seat like this at least until it is possible to do so.
A child whose height and weight is greater than the maximum capacity of a rear-facing car seat can be moved into a belt positioning booster seat. If the child’s height or age makes him eligible for seatbelt protection, he can move on to seat belts, but he must use a lap and shoulder belt for optimal protection. The American Academy of Pediatrics also recommends that all children below the age of 13 ride in the back seat.
Unfortunately, it appears that far too many parents neglect these guidelines when they are travelling in rental cars or ride sharing services. In the study, approximately half of the parents admitted that they did not bother to use child car seats or booster seats when they traveled with their children in ride share vehicles. They admitted that they found it difficult to use these safety systems when travelling in a ride share. Among parents of children below the age of 8, more than 40% reported that they only bothered using a seat belt for the child, without any safety system. Approximately 10% of parents admitted that they traveled either with the child on their lap or completely unrestrained while travelling in a ride share. This kind of travel exposes the child to the risk of serious or even fatal injuries in an accident.
Why are parents neglectful of an important safety feature when they are riding in an Uber? One reason could be difficulty in installing these seats in a new vehicle. Parents find it easy to use a car seat when it is a familiar vehicle they are using, like their own vehicle, but installing them in a ride-share vehicle could pose challenges they are not ready for. Efforts to boost awareness of laws and safety statistics is a goal to encourage parents to adhere to safe car riding practices while taking advantage of ride-sharing services.
The Atlanta car accident lawyers at the Katz Personal Injury Lawyers represent persons who have been injured in car accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across Georgia.