When you’re pregnant, it might feel uncomfortable to buckle up in the driver or passenger seat of the car, but it’s the safest thing to do for you and your child. Being pregnant is not a golden ticket to get out of wearing your seatbelt. You need to wear your seatbelt properly to prevent serious injuries in the result of a serious motor vehicle accident.
This is the safest way to wear your seatbelt if you are pregnant:
- You should place the diagonal seatbelt strap so that it falls over your breastbone, and rest the strap over your shoulder instead of your neck;
- Put the lap belt on your thighs, beneath your belly and over your pelvis; and
- Leave no slack in the seatbelt.
It’s important to avoid wearing lap-only seatbelts, because in a serious motor vehicle accident they may cause injuries to the baby. This is why three-point seatbelts are the only option for pregnant women in the car.
So now that you’re familiar with the safety precautions to take if you’re pregnant, it’s time to look at the safest ways to carry newborn babies in the car. Automobile accident lawyers see motor vehicle accidents doing much more damage than they should have, because people neglect to follow simple safety tips and regulations. This is why it is so imperative that you do your research before driving while pregnant or with a newborn baby.
Safety for Newborns
When holding a baby, you always have to support the child’s neck because their necks are weak at such a young age. Car seats are meant to give extra support to your child in this way when you’re driving. A rear-facing car seat is the best option for your newborn baby because of this extra support.
Installation Process
When installing a rear-facing car seat, you should always install the seat in the back seat of your car. If a motor vehicle accident occurs, you want your child to be away from the front airbags, and this is the way to do so. There are three safe ways to install a car seat, but it is best to read your car owner’s manual and ensure that you are choosing the right option for your vehicle. The three options are:
- Universal Anchorage System (UAS);
- Seat belt only; and
- Seat belt + locking clip.
After installing the car seat, you should make sure that it is sitting at the right angle in your vehicle. You also have to ensure that your car seat does not move, so be sure to install the seat tightly.
IIHS
No matter what channel you frequent, if you spend any time watching TV then you’re bound to be bombarded with a slew of stylistically identical automobile commercials. Generically upbeat music plays as an aerial shot tracks a car rushing along an empty, winding road in some rustic locale, etc. Even the claims made in car commercials tend to be the same: they promise low payments, plenty of features, and, often, safety accolades. But what are these safety accolades? And do they actually help to reduce the risks of automobile accidents?
You might recognize the IIHS, or Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, from the commercials mentioned above, but few people are actually familiar with what it is. The IIHS is “an independent, nonprofit scientific and educational organization dedicated to reducing the losses—deaths, injuries, and property damage" that are associated with automobile accidents.
Safety Awards
The IIHS conducts rigorous, independent testing of most commercially available vehicles based on five categories of crashworthiness: small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength, and head restraints. These categories determine a vehicle’s safety level for when it ends up in automobile accidents. The IIHS also tests for crash avoidance and mitigation: a more recent field, this tests a vehicle’s technology for preventing car accidents in the first place (e.g. blind spot notification, reverse cameras, etc.)
Based on the testing, the IIHS grants two possible awards: the Top Safety Pick and the Top Safety Pick+. As any Toronto personal injury lawyer will tell you, driving vehicles with at least the Top Safety Pick rating is essential to protect yourself from automobile accidents. To learn more about vehicle safety, or to review your options after a motor vehicle accident, get a free consultation with Sokolof Lawyers today.
Automobile Accident Lawyers Can Help
Car accidents involving children can be the most devastating crashes of all, and this is why it is so important to install your car seat correctly, and take care of your own safety when pregnant. If a car accident does happen to occur, automobile accidents lawyers know the law best and will ensure that you receive the compensation that you deserve for your case. Book a free consultation with a Toronto personal injury lawyer at Sokoloff Lawyers today, and ask any questions you might have surrounding the case.
Sources:
http://www.childcarseats.org.uk/types-of-seat/rearward-facing-baby-seats/#pregnancy
https://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/motorvehiclesafety/safedrivers-childsafety-car-index-873.htm
http://www.iihs.org/iihs/ratings
http://www.iihs.org/iihs