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Buckle up kids, too
Last week, the Washington Post reported the sobering statistic that use of child safety seats and other restraints is down in Virginia — and more children are dying in automobile accidents in the Commonwealth as a result.
Those dry statistics became flesh and blood Sunday afternoon on U.S. 211 in Culpeper County. Two boys, ages 7 and 9, died when the car they were riding in ran off the road and hit a tree. Neither, apparently, were restrained by safety belts.
Although the trooper who investigated the accident made no judgment as to whether the children might have survived if they had been restrained, it is likely that they would not have been thrown through the car’s rear window if they had been belted into their seats.
Two other children in the car, both of whom were restrained by either belts or a child safety seat, received relatively minor injuries.
Seat belts and child safety seats are not magic bubbles. They do not prevent all injuries. But, if used properly, they do prevent children from being thrown about the inside of a vehicle or — even worse — thrown out of the vehicle if it is involved in an accident.
The use of child restraints is the law in Virginia. Violators may be stopped and ticketed, and fines and points will be assessed if convicted. The DMV notes that, if parents cannot afford the seats, application for a free seat may be made by calling, toll-free, (800) 533-1892.
But more than the law, a child’s life is at stake. Children depend on their parents to act in their best interests. Parents who do not provide their children with safety restraints in their cars — and insist that the children use them, are violating that trust.
After the accident, it’s too late for second thoughts.
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