As a parent, if you have teenagers, or children who will one day become teenagers, then you know that you have plenty to worry about when it comes to car crashes. However, you likely don’t think about the fact that your other children, the ones who are not yet old enough to drive, may also become the victims of traffic accidents, and sustain the injuries that come with them.
Here are some facts that all parents of children should know about these incidents and how they could impact the safety, health, and wellbeing of your children.
Statistics from the Department of Transportation (DOT) indicate that every year more than 40 fatalities and 3,600 injuries sustained in collisions involve children under the age of 14.
Data indicates that nearly 635 children under the age of five were likely, or certainly not, wearing a seat belt or other safety device at the time of their accident. Many of these instances resulted in injuries and deaths.
When it comes to teen drivers, statistics indicate that drivers between the ages of 15 and 16 are almost always likely to wear their seatbelts. In accidents involving teen drivers of these two ages, only 240 or less per year are reported to have possibly or certainly not been wearing their seatbelts.
Child passengers are too often the victims of fatal car crashes. According to statistics, nearly 30 child passengers are killed in collisions every year, and the remaining child victims of fatal incidents are typically among bicycle riders and pedestrians.
Data reports indicate that more than 3,150 children under the age of 14 sustain injuries, while the remaining child injuries are sustained by children walking down the street or riding a bicycle.
Children walking down the street are at risk of death and injury, with more than 10 deaths and 200 injuries reported for those children under the age of 14.
Child bicycle riders are less likely to sustain fatal wound collisions, with two or fewer reported fatalities each year. Nearly 220 injuries are reported for child bicyclists annually.
Remember, before you focus all of your attention and worries on your teenage children, remember that your younger children may be just as likely, if not more so, to sustain injuries in an accident.