The Danger of Winter Coats: Car Seat Safety
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 46 percent of children ride in car seats that are incorrectly installed in such ways that crash protection is reduced. One of the most common forms of poor car seat installation and use is loose harness straps.
In Bellingham winters, most days are cold enough to warrant the use of a warm jacket and it is only reasonable that parents would want to bundle their kids up. Many parents then loosen car seat straps to fit around the bulk of the winter coat. Unfortunately, the space created between the coat and your child’s frame is a dangerous risk for your children. If a car accident occurs at about 30 miles per hour or higher, the coat may compress but the straps will stay in place thereby leaving a gap that could cause the child to be tossed around or even ejected from the seat.
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Current Distracted Driving Laws
Cell Phones are Primary Cause of Distracted Driving
- A driver talking on a cell phone is as impaired as a driver with a .08 blood-alcohol level; the legal limit in most states.
- A driver who is texting is as impaired as a driver with a .16 blood-alcohol level!
- Drivers talking on cell phones have slower reaction times. Tests have shown that drivers talking on cell phones hit the brakes half a second slower in an emergency and miss more than half the visual cues seen by drivers who are giving their full attention to the road.