Kenny Habetz Injury Law | February 14, 2025 | Car Accident
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), an average of over 1,000 fatalities that occur each year as a result of traffic accidents in the U.S. affect children ages 14 and younger, while an additional 150,000+ same-age children suffer injuries. Some of these accident injuries and fatalities involved improperly or unrestrained child passengers.
As a parent, you may already be aware of the importance of proper car seat installation and use as a means of preventing harm in a car accident. All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories have laws regarding car seats, all of which generally focus on maintaining child passenger safety based on factors like age, weight, and height.
With these factors in mind, what can you do to keep your child safe, and how should you proceed if your child suffers injuries in a car crash? It starts with understanding car seat regulations in Louisiana.
Louisiana Car Seat Laws
Although some states specify height and weight requirements for children to graduate from one car seat to the next as they grow, Louisiana requires drivers to follow manufacturer recommendations in this area. However, the state does offer some guidance on age limits. There are three types of car seats: rear-facing, forward-facing, and booster seats. In Louisiana, car seat laws specify that children up to two years of age must remain in a rear-facing seat until they exceed the manufacturer’s weight/height recommendations.
From then, and until the age of seven, children may graduate to and remain in a forward-facing seat so long as they meet manufacturer weight/height recommendations. Child passengers could move to booster seats as early as age four if they’ve outgrown their forward-facing car seats. They must continue to use their booster seat until the age of 12 or until they exceed manufacturer weight/height limits.
Those who outgrow booster seats ahead of time may graduate from a booster seat to a lap belt as early as age eight. They must ride in the back seat of a car until age 13, secured with a lap belt that lies snug across the upper thighs (not the stomach) and a shoulder belt that’s snug across the shoulder and chest (not the neck).
Hospitals, fire departments, and (in some cases) community centers have resources like car seat checks available for parents to learn how to properly install car seats. You may have to schedule an appointment in advance.
Common Injuries Related to Car Seats
Whiplash, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries are possible when children aren’t properly restrained. Other common types of injuries could include sprains, strains, broken bones, harm to internal organs, and even death.
Louisiana child seat safety laws are designed to keep children safe when car accidents occur, but they can’t account for product defects. Depending on the defect present, a faulty car seat could result in a range of potential injuries when an accident occurs. Possible defects could include faulty or broken buckles or latches, inadequate padding, or harnesses that aren’t positioned correctly to keep children safely restrained in an accident.
Seek Legal Help if Your Child Is Injured in a Car Accident
Louisiana state law on car seats can only do so much to keep children safe, and even when parents install and use car seats properly, children can be injured in accidents with distracted or drunk drivers. Whether your car seat functioned properly and your child was still injured due to the negligence of another driver or the car seat was somehow defective, a qualified and caring lawyer can help you seek justice and fight for fair compensation.
Contact the Louisiana Law Firm Of Kenny Habetz Injury Law for Help Today
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, please call Kenny Habetz Injury Law for a free case evaluation with a Louisiana personal injury lawyer or contact us online. We have offices in Lafayette and Crowley, LA.
Kenny Habetz Injury Law – Lafayette
110 E Kaliste Saloom Rd Ste 101 Lafayette, LA 70508
(337) 399-9000
Kenny Habetz Injury Law – Crowley
604 S Parkerson Ave. Crowley, LA 70526
(337) 329-8883
