As parents and Orlando car accident lawyers, we completely agree with the nation’s top highway safety officer who called on manufacturers and retailers to help improve the use and safety of child car seats and the special anchors used to attach them to vehicles. This is especially valid in light of the evidence demonstrating that parents are often unsure of the best way to install these life-saving devices.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administrator Nicole R. Nason, has advocated that industry leaders and consumer advocates work to improve child car seat safety. Certainly, the facts demand such action. Every day, five of our children are killed and another 640 are injured on our roads. Car seats, booster seats and other restraints are a proven way to keep our children safe and an inexpensive investment in their future.

Unfortunately, child safety devices are not always used and when they are they may not be installed properly. A survey conducted by NHTSA found that many parents were unaware of either the existence or the importance of a new system of anchors built into newer vehicles, and specifically designed to hold and anchor car seats. Obviously, efforts are needed to increase the correct use of these so-called Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children (LATCH) systems, which come standard in vehicles made after 2002.

Having represented so many families in tragic car accidents, it is essential that our children receive the benefit of all reasonable safety measures. While accidents will happen, keeping our children in child safety seats that are properly installed will help avoid serious injury or death to our most precious little ones. Certainly, that is a worthy goal.