The alarming truth about car accidents is that exponentially more than any other accident, car accidents are the most common type of injury involving minor children. In fact, according to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA), nearly 250,000 children are injured every year in-car accidents.
So let’s break down the math. Essentially, what this means is that on any given day, close to 700 children are harmed due to motor vehicle collisions on our roadways. Of the 250,000 kids injured each year, approximately 2,000 die from their injuries. Delving even further into the statistics, children make up an overwhelming 5% of all fatalities due to motor vehicle collisions. Of that percentage, the majority of the children are aged 2-14 years, the most tender years of a child’s developing life. unfortunately, 20% of those fatalities are caused by intoxicated drivers. Almost half of the children that were killed were “riding passengers” in a vehicle operated by an intoxicated driver.Moreover, car accidents are the leading cause of after-acquired disabilities, such as brain injuries or paralysis, for children across the nation.
Of the child fatalities that do not involve intoxication, half of those accidents were due to failure to wear a seat belt or use a child safety seat. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), at least 72% of child vehicle safety restraints that were observed, were being used incorrectly. NHTSA has moreover found that if the child were properly harnessed into the restraint, the reduction of death would be by 71% for infants, and by 54% for toddlers.
Each state requires that children under the age of 5 use approved child safety seats; however, it has been observed that there is only a 90% compliance rate.
These statistics are disheartening and alarming. For the children especially, who become victims of adult mistakes, and then are “incompetent” in the eyes of the law to bring suit until the age of 18, or in a guardian capacity.
If you or your child have been injured by a drunk driver, or a faulty seatbelt or restraint, or in any other manner, the law offices of Reeves, Aiken, and Hightower LLP are ready and capable to help.
We are licensed to practice in both North and South Carolina, and encourage you to continue browsing our website and to compare our attorneys’ credentials to any other firm. You can then call us toll-free at 877-374-5999 or contact us by email for a private, confidential consultation to review your particular case.