It's the Law: The Importance of Car Seats

Not only is it safe and important to always keep your child properly restrained in a car seat, it is also the law. Florida law has strict rules on car seat safety when it comes to young children.

Children under the age of five must be restrained at all times while in the car. Children three years and under must be in a separate safety car seat, while children from four to five may be placed within the constraint of a safety belt if it fits them correctly. If it does not, they are required to be placed in a booster seat. For more detailed information, please visit http://sheriff.org/safety/carseat.cfm. The penalty for not securing your child under these requirements is not only a $60 fine, but also three points on your record, which is equivalent to a speeding ticket. This is also a primary offense, which basically means that the police can stop you just for not having your child restrained.

There are a variety of car seats available and recommended for children under five years of age and children that are older but underweight for the seat belt requirements. According to American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Car Seat Safety guide, http://www.aap.org/family/Carseatguide.htm, infants under one year old should be rear facing for ultimate safety. Once they reach 20 pounds, the seat may be turned forward, but rear-facing is a safer choice. Further, the AAP recommends that children ride in the back seat of the car until as old as thirteen in order to keep your child as safe as possible.

The importance of car seats for infants is echoed in the recent tragedy in Levy County. The only reason Poupard's infant survived the crash into the back of a school bus was the safety measures her mother had taken by strapping her safely into a car seat. Please do the same to your children!

For more information on car seat safety, visit http://www.infant-car-seats.com/states/car-seats-laws-Florida.html.

We at the Law Office of Jeffrey Meldon and Associates strongly believe that public education is the first step in the prevention of an accident or in the recovery from one.

We are experienced personal injury attorneys, trial lawyers, negotiators, litigators and staff that have been proudly working to get accident victims the justice they deserve for over 30 years in Gainesville, Ocala, Lake City, Inverness, and the rest of North Central Florida and North Florida. Accidents involving a car crash, truck wreck, and motorcycle, bicycle, or pedestrian accidents, dog bites, slip and falls and medical malpractice are all included in our practice.

Based on Jeffrey Meldon's, founder of The Law Office of Jeffrey Meldon & Associates, over 30 years of helping accident victims get justice and a fair shake from the insurance companies he has written the consumer guide book, Seven Mistakes That Can Wreck Your Florida Accident Case. You can request your free, no obligation copy right now, or contact our office for your complimentary copy sent to you today.

Contact the Law Office of Jeffrey Meldon at (800) 373-8000 or (352) 373-8000 immediately if you have been involved in a serious auto, truck or motorcycle accident. We are in your community, have the experience and resources required to work towards obtaining a fair settlement for you - we are here to help you.

We proudly handle accidents that occur on all roads and in the areas including: I-75, I-10, I-95, U.S. Route 301, U.S. Route 441, State Road 40, State Road 26, State Road 24, Archer Road, Main St, and University Avenue. Our law firm has been representing accident victims in Gainesville, Ocala, Lake City, Inverness, Palatka, Crystal River, Daytona Beach, Interlachen, Spring Hill, Dunnellon, Bunnell, Live Oak, Starke, Jasper, Cross City, Perry, Trenton, Leesberg, Lake Butler, Tavares, Chiefland, Bronson, Brooksville, The Villages and the counties of Alachua, Marion, Columbia, Citrus, Volusia, Sumter, Levy, Lake, Bradford, Flagler, Hamilton, Dixie, Gilchrist, Union, Hernando, Suwannee, Union, and Putnam since 1971!

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Jeffrey Meldon & Associates, PA

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