Sitting your child on a shopping cart seems harmless doesn’t
it? Many parents planning to do some holiday shopping this season with their
children will load them into the front seat of the shopping cart without a
second thought. But you may want to start paying closer attention and be
careful about having your child sit there.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a safety
alert issue after a study that was released last year that showed a rise in
child injuries due to falling from shopping carts. Researchers published in the
journal Clinical Pediatrics reported that more than 24,000 children annually,
or 66 children a day, go to the ER for shopping cart-related injuries.
71 percent of all child injuries are due to falls out of a
shopping cart. Falls most often occur when children stand up in the cart seat
or the cart basket. They also occur when children unbuckle or wiggle out of the
restraint, or the restraint is missing. Children can also fall from the cart seat
even when an infant seat, infant carrier, or a car seat is placed on the cart
seat. Other related injuries include being run over by a cart, falling over the
cart, having a body part stuck or trapped in the cart, or having the cart tip
over.
The most common cart-related injuries were head injuries,
which accounted for 78 percent of the total.
Researchers believe a primary issue to the cause of these
falls is the design of the shopping carts. They suggest restraint systems
should be improved by placing shopping cart child seats closer to the floor.
Parents should also be educated about shopping cart safety and stores should
promote the use of cart safety belts.
Here are some tips for keeping your child safe from shopping
carts:
-
Make sure they are always in your sight where
you can keep an eye on them.
-
Always use the shopping cart safety straps. If
the straps are missing or broken, use another cart.
-
Make sure your child is sat properly on the cart
seat with their legs through each leg opening.
-
Avoid placing infant carriers on top of shopping
carts. If you must take your infant with you, it’s better to use a front or
back-pack carrier or a stroller.
-
Don’t allow your child to ride in the cart
basket.
-
Don’t allow a child to push the cart with
another child in it.
If
you or someone you know has been involved in a car crash or truck accident in
Detroit, Grand Rapids, Warren, Sterling Heights, Lansing, Flint, Ann Arbor,
Livonia, Dearborn, Canton, Westland, Troy, Farmington Hills, Southfield,
Waterford or any other city in Michigan, make sure to contact Motor City
Accident Attorneys by calling 1-800-411-PAIN. Motor City Accident Attorneys
know how stressful a car accident can be and want to help you get back on your
feet. They will fight tirelessly for your rights and help you get the
compensation you deserve, according to your specific case. Make sure to follow
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