Car accidents are thought to be the top cause of disability and death among teens in the United States. Statistics show that in 2005, over 1400 children ages 14 and younger died due to an automobile accident, and nearly 250,000 are injured in car accidents each year. These injuries related to automobiles can occur in a variety of ways, including traffic and non-traffic related accidents.
Children can receive injuries inside of an automobile without actually being involved in a traffic accident. Some of the most common accidents include the following:
• Trunks: When playing in the trunk area of a vehicle, children may get locked in and become unable to escape.
• Car Windows: Automobile windows may cause serious injury if they close on a child, and while most auto companies have installed safety features in order to prevent this, these accidents may still happen. In the worst case scenario, a child may choke before they are able to be rescued.
• Interlock Failure of the Brake Shift: With most cars, they cannot go into gear unless the driver is pressing on the brake pedal. However, if this device fails, injuries may result.
• Accidental Back Over. The size of children makes them difficult to see at times, and because of this poor visibility, children could be run over by a car.
Children are extremely vulnerable when it comes to car accidents, and often they need to seek immediate medical treatment with a doctor or a chiropractor in Tucker. Some of the most common traffic-related whiplash injuries in Tucker are a result of the following:
• Seat Belts: By not using a seat belt, a minor accident may turn into a major accident.
• Child Safety Seats. Many child safety seats have been determined to be defective, and others may not be installed properly by the child’s parents.
• Seatback Failure. A collapse of an automobile seat can severely injure a child, even at a low rate of impact.
• Incorrectly Deploying Airbags. These defects have caused numerous issues and injuries, especially when they involve children.