California lawmaker advocates for car seat safety
New parents often fret over getting into a car accident with their children, but our modern society often requires parents to drive with their offspring in tow on a daily basis despite their fears. Soon, parents become accustomed to driving with their children and they become less concerned about potential car accidents.
However, parents must take the necessary precautions to keep their children safe in case a car accident should occur. As we have discussed in previous posts, small children can be seriously injured in even minor car accidents, especially when car seats are not installed properly.
A California lawmaker is hoping to keep young children even safer by proposing a bill that would require children to ride in rear-facing car seats for an extra year. Currently under state law children are required to ride in rear-facing car seats until they are at least 1.
The lawmaker from Los Angeles County said the bill was inspired by parents who brought her attention to research that shows that children are safer in rear-facing car seats until they are at least 2. After looking into the issue further, the lawmaker said she was surprised that this law was not yet on the books even though so many safety groups were advocating for the standard.
The bill will be considered during the new legislative session that begins this month.
Of course, even though the bill is not yet law, parents can still take it upon themselves to make sure that their children stay in rear-facing car seats until they are at least 2 years old in order to keep them as safe as possible.