Car Seat Safety Policy Brief Part II Essay.

Car Seat Safety

Car are moving machines considered necessary in today’s world to help with locomotion purposes. However, like other machines, cars similarly present the potential for accidents due to mechanical problems with the vehicle, driver error, or external factors outside the vehicle. Of great concern is collisions that apply kinetic force on the car occupants causing them to be thrown around when the car stops unexpectedly following a crash. The most significant problem is among children most affected by collision accidents, whereby they are either injured or killed. Car Seat Safety Policy Brief Part II Essay.Car seats are designed differently to account for the child’s developmental needs, size, and age. However, the concern is that not all children are not correctly fitted in car seats, thereby presenting child safety concerns (Linnard-Palmar, 2016). The purpose of this paper is to make an argument for policy changes that mandate that backward-facing car seats be used by small children less than two years of age in cars with a focus on improving child safety.Car Seat Safety Policy Brief Part II Essay.

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Car Seat Safety Relevance

Car accidents are considered a leading cause of death among children. During a car accident, a tremendous amount of force is exerted on the child’s body during such events. The result has been one in ten children (fourteen years of age or younger) dying every day from a car accident. Unlike adults, children’s bodies are structurally different and fragile; an impact from a motor vehicle accident can end up causing the child life-threatening injuries (Brolin et al., 2015). These car accidents that resulted in a child’s death has resulted in policies mandated that children be placed in car seats. However, there are no distinctions on when forward-facing and backward-facing car seats should be used.Car Seat Safety Policy Brief Part II Essay. The argument presented for backward-facing car seats is that serious accidents rarely occur at the back of the car, with most car crashes either occurring at the side or front of the care (Krisch, 2020). Approximately 70% of accidents happen at the side or front of the car. In a front-end car collision, a child in a forward-facing car seat snaps forwards toward the point of impact but is restrained by the car seat, although there is a likelihood of the restraints acting on the child and causing injuries. Still, a child in a backward-facing seat would fall back towards the front of the car and be cushioned by the car seat. This concern is most significant for children under two years of age since their bones are fragile, with a high possibility of spinal cord injury and paralysis if a small force is placed on these delicate bones. Given that most accidents occur at the front of the car, then using a backward-facing car seat presents a safer option. As the child would not snap forward into a harness as would be the case with the forward-facing seat, and would instead snap back into the car seat where the forces are diffused along the larger areas of the car seat (Krisch, 2020).Car Seat Safety Policy Brief Part II Essay.

Potential Stakeholders

The issue of car seats and child safety in cars is of concern to three groups of stakeholders. First, it concerns parents who seek to improve their children’s safety when traveling in automobiles. The presence of safer car seats provides more assurance that their children will survive with fewer injuries if an accident occurs. Second, it is of concern to car seat manufacturers as it has marketing implications. The presence of a policy mandating the use of a specific car seat design implies that manufacturers who produce that design have more significant business opportunities. Lastly, it is of concern to public health as it determines the cost of resources necessary to provide care for children involved in car accidents. Children with fewer injuries will require fewer medical care that those with more injuries (Zaccagnini & White, 2017).Car Seat Safety Policy Brief Part II Essay.

Car Safety Enacted in Legislation

Senate Bill S.1411, presented by Sen. Barry Finegold of the District of Second Essex and Middlesex in the State of Massachusetts, sought to introduce legislation requiring rear-facing car seats for children less than two years of age or weighing less than 30 pounds. The legislation is intended for use in the State of Massachusetts. The bill makes it clear that only children who have outgrown backward-facing seats by weight or age would be permitted to use forward-facing car seats. The bill’s proponents argue that the current legislation is not strong enough as there is scientific evidence to show that backward-facing seats are safer than forward-facing seats for children. Yet this evidence has not been adopted in legislation (Lannan, 2019). They further explain that fourteen states have adopted similar legislation with favorable results.Car Seat Safety Policy Brief Part II Essay. It would be prudent for the State of Massachusetts to adopt the same legislation to improve child safety. The current state laws mandate that all children less than eight years of age must use a car seat unless they are taller than 57 inches, but it does not specify the type of car seat. The argument is presented that a backward-facing car seat provides much more protection for a child’s spine, neck, and head during a forward car collision with the car seat, absorbing much of the crash forces. The proposed bill has received support from the Boston Children’s Hospital staff and AAA Northeast, who presented testimony supporting the bill to the state Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee (State House News Service, 2019).Car Seat Safety Policy Brief Part II Essay.

Policy Brief

The legislation mandate requires all parents to have car seats installed for children’s targeted age groups. This policy has the advantage of improving child safety when traveling as the child is better protected if facing the back during a front-end crash. Still, the legislation may present disadvantages. Children who are facing backward when other passengers are facing forward are likely to be uncorporative and disruptive. Besides that, they would be miserable from the monotonous scene. Additionally, they are likely to experience carsickness. With increasing concerns about child safety in cars, the improved safety from using backward-facing car seats makes a good argument for the legislative change (Linnard-Palmar, 2016).Car Seat Safety Policy Brief Part II Essay.

Conclusion

We must accept that child safety presents an issue of concern with the use of cars. Also, we must acknowledge that legislative attempts have been made to address the matter by mandating car seats. However, their issue is that the legislation does not specify the appropriate car seat designs for the different ages, and yet there is scientific evidence supporting using of specific car seat designs for the different child ages. Towards this end, the legislative change is proposed to mandate backward-facing car seats among children less than two years of age. The proposal is justified that about 70% of car accidents involve front collisions, and backward-facing car seats provide greater protection to the children when in such situations compared to forward-facing car seats. The proposal is presented for a policy change mandating the use of backward-facing car seats for children less than two years of age to provide greater safety in case of a car collision occurring.Car Seat Safety Policy Brief Part II Essay.

Car Seat Safety

Car are moving machines considered necessary in today’s world to help with locomotion purposes. However, like other machines, cars similarly present the potential for accidents due to mechanical problems with the vehicle, driver error, or external factors outside the vehicle. Of great concern is collisions that apply kinetic force on the car occupants causing them to be thrown around when the car stops unexpectedly following a crash. The most significant problem is among children most affected by collision accidents, whereby they are either injured or killed. Car seats are designed differently to account for the child’s developmental needs, size, and age. However, the concern is that not all children are not correctly fitted in car seats, thereby presenting child safety concerns (Linnard-Palmar, 2016). The purpose of this paper is to make an argument for policy changes that mandate that backward-facing car seats be used by small children less than two years of age in cars with a focus on improving child safety.Car Seat Safety Policy Brief Part II Essay.

Car Seat Safety Relevance

Car accidents are considered a leading cause of death among children. During a car accident, a tremendous amount of force is exerted on the child’s body during such events. The result has been one in ten children (fourteen years of age or younger) dying every day from a car accident. Unlike adults, children’s bodies are structurally different and fragile; an impact from a motor vehicle accident can end up causing the child life-threatening injuries (Brolin et al., 2015). These car accidents that resulted in a child’s death has resulted in policies mandated that children be placed in car seats. However, there are no distinctions on when forward-facing and backward-facing car seats should be used.Car Seat Safety Policy Brief Part II Essay. The argument presented for backward-facing car seats is that serious accidents rarely occur at the back of the car, with most car crashes either occurring at the side or front of the care (Krisch, 2020). Approximately 70% of accidents happen at the side or front of the car. In a front-end car collision, a child in a forward-facing car seat snaps forwards toward the point of impact but is restrained by the car seat, although there is a likelihood of the restraints acting on the child and causing injuries. Still, a child in a backward-facing seat would fall back towards the front of the car and be cushioned by the car seat. This concern is most significant for children under two years of age since their bones are fragile, with a high possibility of spinal cord injury and paralysis if a small force is placed on these delicate bones. Given that most accidents occur at the front of the car, then using a backward-facing car seat presents a safer option. As the child would not snap forward into a harness as would be the case with the forward-facing seat, and would instead snap back into the car seat where the forces are diffused along the larger areas of the car seat (Krisch, 2020).Car Seat Safety Policy Brief Part II Essay.

Potential Stakeholders

The issue of car seats and child safety in cars is of concern to three groups of stakeholders. First, it concerns parents who seek to improve their children’s safety when traveling in automobiles. The presence of safer car seats provides more assurance that their children will survive with fewer injuries if an accident occurs. Second, it is of concern to car seat manufacturers as it has marketing implications. The presence of a policy mandating the use of a specific car seat design implies that manufacturers who produce that design have more significant business opportunities. Lastly, it is of concern to public health as it determines the cost of resources necessary to provide care for children involved in car accidents. Children with fewer injuries will require fewer medical care that those with more injuries (Zaccagnini & White, 2017).Car Seat Safety Policy Brief Part II Essay.

Car Safety Enacted in Legislation

Senate Bill S.1411, presented by Sen. Barry Finegold of the District of Second Essex and Middlesex in the State of Massachusetts, sought to introduce legislation requiring rear-facing car seats for children less than two years of age or weighing less than 30 pounds. The legislation is intended for use in the State of Massachusetts. The bill makes it clear that only children who have outgrown backward-facing seats by weight or age would be permitted to use forward-facing car seats. The bill’s proponents argue that the current legislation is not strong enough as there is scientific evidence to show that backward-facing seats are safer than forward-facing seats for children. Yet this evidence has not been adopted in legislation (Lannan, 2019). They further explain that fourteen states have adopted similar legislation with favorable results.Car Seat Safety Policy Brief Part II Essay. It would be prudent for the State of Massachusetts to adopt the same legislation to improve child safety. The current state laws mandate that all children less than eight years of age must use a car seat unless they are taller than 57 inches, but it does not specify the type of car seat. The argument is presented that a backward-facing car seat provides much more protection for a child’s spine, neck, and head during a forward car collision with the car seat, absorbing much of the crash forces. The proposed bill has received support from the Boston Children’s Hospital staff and AAA Northeast, who presented testimony supporting the bill to the state Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee (State House News Service, 2019).Car Seat Safety Policy Brief Part II Essay.

Policy Brief

The legislation mandate requires all parents to have car seats installed for children’s targeted age groups. This policy has the advantage of improving child safety when traveling as the child is better protected if facing the back during a front-end crash. Still, the legislation may present disadvantages. Children who are facing backward when other passengers are facing forward are likely to be uncorporative and disruptive. Besides that, they would be miserable from the monotonous scene. Additionally, they are likely to experience carsickness. With increasing concerns about child safety in cars, the improved safety from using backward-facing car seats makes a good argument for the legislative change (Linnard-Palmar, 2016).Car Seat Safety Policy Brief Part II Essay.

Conclusion

We must accept that child safety presents an issue of concern with the use of cars. Also, we must acknowledge that legislative attempts have been made to address the matter by mandating car seats. However, their issue is that the legislation does not specify the appropriate car seat designs for the different ages, and yet there is scientific evidence supporting using of specific car seat designs for the different child ages. Towards this end, the legislative change is proposed to mandate backward-facing car seats among children less than two years of age. The proposal is justified that about 70% of car accidents involve front collisions, and backward-facing car seats provide greater protection to the children when in such situations compared to forward-facing car seats. The proposal is presented for a policy change mandating the use of backward-facing car seats for children less than two years of age to provide greater safety in case of a car collision occurring.Car Seat Safety Policy Brief Part II Essay.