Archive for January, 2011

Safety Standards Continue to Fail our Families

Thursday, January 13th, 2011

Last month, the National Transportation Safety Board held a meeting discussing child safety in motor vehicles and airplanes.  Unfortunately, the laws designed to protect our children seem to fall short once again.  For example, Oregon law allows parents to discontinue use of car seats before their child’s body is capable of protection from the standard seat belt in most cars.  In fact, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, placement of the lap belt over the abdomen is a major cause of internal organ and spinal injury in children, while the lap belt over the neck is a major cause of disabling or fatal neck injury in children weighing under 80 pounds or less than 4′ 9″ in height.  To read more about the concerns stemming from last month’s meeting, read here.