Practice Areas
- Car Accidents & Injuries
- Tractor Trailer Accidents
- Drunk Driving Accidents
- Uninsured Motorist Claims
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Insurance Claim Denials
- Construction Accidents & Injuries
- Virginia Workers Compensation
- Nursing Home & Assisted Living Abuse
- Wrongful Death
Blog 
Car Accidents & Injuries
- Car accident alert: is your infant safe?
- The Top 5 Causes of Virginia Traffic Accidents
- How is Virginia’s transportation budget battle going to affect you?
- Motorcyclist pays the ultimate price on the GW Parkway
- Do laws banning cell phone use while driving really work?
- The US Government decides to further investigate Jeep Liberty defect
- Rollover risks – how safe is your SUV?
- Car Accident Deaths Increase Starting At Age 12
- New car seat rating system launched
- So long, abusive driving fees!
Tractor Trailer Accidents
- Causes of Large Truck Crashes
- Is your life at risk from a medically unfit driver?
- Distracted Tractor-Trailer Driver Takes Two Lives
Drunk Driving Accidents
- The Effect of Minimum Legal Drinking Age Laws and Drunk Driving Accidents
- Getting high-risk drunk drivers off the road
- Back road drunks – beware!
- Two drunk drivers slam into construction equipment, kill worker
Motorcycle Accidents
Insurance Claim Denials
Virginia Workers Compensation
Nursing Home & Assisted Living Abuse
Wrongful Death
General
- New Virginia DUI Law Takes Effect January 1, 2008
- Mandatory arbitration – good for business, bad for you
- Is your car watching you?
- Have you talked to your teenage driver about auto safety?
Firm News
- Car Crash Kills One and Injuries Four Other Victims
- Study Finds that 13% of Seniors are Mistreated
- Five Teens Died in Car Accidents during National Teen Driver Safety Week
- Settlement in Wrongful Death Case Reached
- Accidents on Va. 151
- Henrico Car Crash Kills Driver
- Fairfax County Police Worried About Motorcycle Traffic
- Virginia State Police Trooper Continues to Recover From Drunk Driving Accident
- Drivers With Prior DWI Convictions Pose Greatest Risk of Fatal Crashes
- Woman Dies In Weekend Motorcycle Crash
Library
Car Accidents & Injuries
- 8 Things You Should do After a Car Accident
- Focus on Infants: Is Your Child Passenger Safe?
- The Top 5 Causes of Traffic Accidents by Age Group
Tractor Trailer Accidents
- Study Examines Causes of Large Truck Accidents
- Are Medically Unfit Bus and Truck Drivers Endangering Your Life?
- The Deadly Facts about Tractor Trailer Accidents
Drunk Driving Accidents
- Drunk Driving Accidents and Minimum Legal Drinking Age
- The Problem of High-Risk Drunk Drivers in Fatal Crashes
- How Would Lowering the Drinking Age Affect Teen Drivers?
Uninsured Motorist Claims
Motorcycle Accidents
- Are Gas Prices Affecting Motorcycle Safety?
- Are Motorcycles Getting Deadlier?
- Motorcyclists – How to Protect Yourself on the Road
Insurance Claim Denials
- Car Insurance Claim Denials
- Help! My Insurance Claim was Denied!
- Are You Really in Good Hands with Allstate?
Construction Accidents & Injuries
Virginia Workers Compensation
Nursing Home & Assisted Living Abuse
Wrongful Death
General
Focus on Infants: Is Your Child Passenger Safe?
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, 7 out of 10 child safety seats are not installed correctly. This means that 70% of American’s children are at risk of being injured or killed in an auto accident if their seat does not protect them as expected. Child passenger safety is a big issue for the DOT, as when properly used, child restraint systems reduce fatalities by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers in passenger cars. In order to improve child passenger safety, the DOT, local law enforcement agencies, and Safe Kids USA came together to offer free car seat inspections at 400 locations across the country.
Infant Passenger Safety Tips
If you missed out on the free inspection, there are still ample resources available for you to check and ensure that you are properly restraining your child. According to Safe Kids USA, all infants should be in a rear-facing car seat to at least age 1 and 20 lbs. However, you should continue to use your rear-facing car seat longer if the seat has higher weight and height limits as rear facing is safest for infants. Rear-facing as long as possible is a practice endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics and other child safety organizations.
Consider the following facts about rear-facing car seats from Car-Safety.org:
- Rear-facing is safest for both adults and children, but especially for babies, who would face a greater risk of spinal cord injury in a front-facing carseat during a frontal crash.
- Rear-facing car seats spread frontal crash forces over the whole area of a baby's back, head and neck; they also prevent the head from snapping relative to the body in a frontal crash.
- Rear-facing carseats may not be quite as effective in a rear end crash, but severe frontal and frontal offset crashes are far more frequent and far more severe than severe rear end crashes.
- Rear-facing carseats are NOT a safety risk just because a baby's legs are bent at the knees or because they can touch/kick the vehicle seat.
- Rear-facing as long as possible is the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatricians, and can reduce injuries and deaths. Motor Vehicle Crashes are the #1 overall cause of death for children 14 and under.
You may take the next step to a forward-facing car seat when your child is at least one year old and you answer “yes” to either question:
- Does your child exceed the car seat’s rear-facing height and weight limits?
- Is your child’s head within one inch of the car seat top?
According to SafeKids USA, you should follow these guidelines from birth to at least age 1 and 20 lbs:
- Use a rear-facing car seat correctly in a back seat every time your baby rides in a car.
- Use the right car seat for your baby’s weight and height. Infants are weighed and measured at every doctor visit, so be sure to keep track.
- Use the car’s safety belt or LATCH system to lock the car seat into the car. Your car seat should not move more than one inch side to side or front to back. Grab the car seat at the safety beltpath or LATCH path to test it.
- Put harnesses through the slots so they are even with or below the infant’s shoulders. Be sure the harness is tight, so you can’t pinch extra webbing at the shoulder.
- Adjust the chest clip to armpit level.
- Use your baby’s car seat rear-facing and reclined no more than 45 degrees, so the baby’s head stays in contact with the seat and the baby’s airway stays open. Read the car seat instructions.
- Keep your baby rear-facing until at least age 1 and 20 pounds. Use a rear-facing convertible seat longer if the seat has higher weight and height limits.
- Find where the frontal airbags are in your vehicle by checking the owner’s manual. Never put a rear-facing car seat in front of an active airbag.
- Be sure all occupants wear safety belts correctly every time. Children learn from adult role models.
If you or someone you love has been involved in a car accident, then we want to hear from you. Please contact the Northern Virginia law offices of Dulaney, Lauer & Thomas today and let us work with you to secure the justice and compensation that you deserve.
DULANEY, LAUER & THOMAS, LLP
Warrenton Office
98 Alexandria Pike, Suite 11
Warrenton, VA 20186
Toll Free: 888.907.2631
Local: 540.349.2631
Culpeper Office
209 N. West Street
Culpeper, VA 22701
Toll Free: 800.741.1012
Local: 540.825.6046
Free Case Evaluation
Dulaney, Lauer & Thomas, LLP
98 Alexandria Pike
Suite 11
Warrenton, VA 20186
Phone: 888-907-2631
DULANEY, LAUER &
THOMAS, LLP
Warrenton Office
98 Alexandria Pike
Suite 11
Warrenton, VA 20186
Toll Free: 888.907.2631
Local: 540.349.2631
Get Directions
Culpeper Office
209 N. West Street
Culpeper, VA 22701
Toll Free: 800.741.1012
Local: 540.825.6046
Get Directions
Our Attorneys
Resources
- Car Accidents & Injuries
- Tractor Trailer Accidents
- Drunk Driving Accidents
- Insurance Claim Denials
- Virginia Workers Compensation
- Nursing Home & Assisted Living Abuse
- Wrongful Death
- General
FAQ
Car Accidents & Injuries
- Why hire a lawyer? Can't I just resolve this matter with the insurance company on my own?
- Does an injury case require an attorney who "specializes" in personal injury law?
- If I hire an attorney will that prolong the resolution of my case or guarantee that it goes to trial?
Uninsured Motorist Claims
- I was injured by a "hit and run" driver who fled the scene and whose identity is unknown. Do I have a case? Against whom?
- My auto insurance policy has "uninsured motorist" coverage. What is this?
Insurance Claim Denials
Construction Accidents & Injuries
- I was struck by a bulldozer while working on a construction site and seriously injured my leg. Who is liable?
- Will pursuing a lawsuit for a construction accident injury jeopardize my rights to workers compensation?