Chicago Car Accident Lawyer - Keep Your Child Safe While Driving

By Matthew Willens  Nov. 30, 2015 8:43a

As a parent, you can take steps to ensure the safety of your children while riding in a car.

One important thing to do is to make sure your car is equipped with a safety child seat. There are strict child safety seat regulations in the state of Illinois. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has recently proposed stricter regulations.

Use an Approriate Safety Child Seat

Parents need to make sure that a car has a safety seat with a “federally approved child restraint system” for children younger than eight years. The state of Illinois also requires that the child restraint system consists of a “belt positioning booster seat.” If you child's age is between 8 and 16 years, you must make sure your child is using a seat belt or the child restraint system approved by the federal government.

Prepare an Emergency Kit

These regulations aim to ensure the safety of your children. As a parent, you can go a step further and build a car emergency kit to ensure the safety of your kids and that of other occupants in your car. Your emergency kit should include items that would you deal with an emergency situation, such as in the event of a car accident or breakdown.

Essential Items to Include

Keep a car emergency kit in a container in the dashboard case or in the back of your car. Make sure the kit contains the following items:

• snacks
• water bottle
• first aid kit
• medicines that you might require in the event of an emergency
• flashlight
• extra batteries
• extra mobile phone and a back up charger
• towels and paper towels

If you have children, you may want to include some additional items in the kit. When deciding what to include in your emergency kit, consider your child's age.

• extra under garments
• wet wipes
• diapers
• bandages
• books
• video games
• toys
• pacifiers
• extra medicines that your child may require

Consider Weather Conditions

Always be prepared for any sudden change in weather conditions. Carry additional clothing items for protection against extreme weather conditions. If you are traveling during winter, pack gloves, jackets, scarves, hats, and extra shoes for your children. Some items to pack in other weather conditions are sunscreen, sunglasses, raincoats, poncho, and an umbrella. Instruct your children how to ask for help in the event of an emergency. Teach them how to call for emergency services.

If you get involved in a car accident and you are unsure of whether or not you can make a claim, contact an Willens Law accident attorneys from Willens Law Offices. Call us at (312) 957-4166.