Did You Know?

Studies estimate that the misuse rate for child restraints is in the neighborhood of 90%.  NINETY PERCENT!  For every ten children you see riding in a vehicle today, nine of them are at serious risk of being severely injured or killed if they were to be involved in a crash.  Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death in young people, taking more lives than the number two and three causes combined. 

This information is horribly sad, and is made all the more so by the simple fact that many of the deaths could have easily been prevent through the use of an appropriate child restraint.  On the flip side, it is also encouraging: if we can better the current misuse rate, we can dramatically improve outcomes and save the lives of many, many children.

Frequently, we walk around in a bubble, convinced that "it could never happen to me".  A motor vehicle collision can happen anywhere, at anytime, to anyone.  YOU may be an extremely safe driver, but what of the other drives on the road?  What about unexpected road debris, or wildlife?  Driving smart defiantely reduces your chances of being involved in a crash, but it's no guarantee.

I'd like to share my friend Anne's story with you.  If there's ever a story that illistrates so clearly the importance of using a correctly installed, appropriate child restraint for your children, every time, it's this one.

"On our way to Phoenix, just a few miles away, my husband (driving our 2002 Odyssey) hit an obstacle in the road. We don't know what it is, but we all felt the bump, then were airborne, and onto a gravel shoulder. We skidded on the gravel. The van hit a barrier (right at the rear driver's side, where my 4 year old daughter was seated.) It then flipped across the highway. My husband was braking the whole way. (He had just had the tires rotated and pressure checked, and the brakes replaced.) It slowed us considerably. We went into a ditch at an angle and became airborne. We went down on the passenger side of the vehicle, nose first, and then flipped over upside down.

My daughters (the 4 year old, almost 5, and her 2 sisters, 6 almost 7 and 2 almost 3) were screaming. This meant they were alive and I was glad. My husband and I were suspended by our (properly worn) seatbelts. I had significant neck pain. My husband was able to exit the vehicle fairly easily, but I was trapped; I had to be extracted with the Jaws of Life (after fending off a bystander who wanted to cut my belt with a pen knife and pull me out, yelling at him, "Do not cut my seatbelt! Wait until the EMTs arrive to hold c-spine! If you want to do something, get me a jacket and treat me for shock!")

My 4 and 6 year olds were harnessed properly in properly installed and used, tethered seats. (The 6 year old is usually boostered, but because it was a late night trip I didn't want to risk her falling asleep and falling out of position.) My 2 year old was rear-facing. The heavy cargo in the van was all packed tightly down in the bottom of the trunk, compartmentalized behind and under the seat as much as possible before we left. My husband and I had our seatbelts and headrests properly fastened and adjusted and were seated in proper position.

My husband has a mild lung contusion and abrasions from his seatbelt and "road burn." I have a lot of stitches in my arm (which dragged along the ground outside the car-- the trauma surgeon says that the braking slowed us enough to save me from having it ripped off) and on my face and bruising all over. My 6 year old has minor abrasions (more road burn) and bruises. My 4 year old, with the most severe injuries, suffered a severe cut to her foot (aptly and completely repaired by great surgeons) and a broken leg (remember, she was AT the first point of impact, a side impact.) My 2 year old, who was in the rear-facing seat, was completely unharmed. Not a mark on her. Nothing. Despite the fact that we landed on the side of the car she was on (she was behind me, I was in the second row passenger seat, and the forward-facers were second and third row driver's side.)"

This is what their van looked like after the crash:

Those three seats sitting on the ground?  They saved the lives of three precious little girls that night.  They did so because they were used correctly.  Had Anne's daughters not been so well protected in their vehicle, the outcome of that night would very likely have been much, much worse.