Dangers of Injury from Resting Your Feet on the Dashboard in the Event of a Crash
The experienced auto accident attorneys at the law firm of Silverman, McDonald & Friedman are here to protect the rights of their clients to fair compensation when they have suffered serious injuries in traffic crashes that were the result of another driver’s negligence. We welcome your call for a free case evaluation today at one of our offices in Newark, Seaford or Wilmington.
If your kids, or other adult passengers, are in the habit of riding in the front passenger seat with their feet resting on the dashboard, we hope this post convinces them to stop. While relaxing on a long car trip with your feet up as you watch the scenery roll past might seem like a perfectly harmless thing to do, we are going to explain the dangers of this practice and hope that you advise anyone who rides in your vehicle to keep their feet on the floor while the car is in motion.
What is so dangerous about riding with your feet on the dashboard?
Here are a few of the reasons you should never ride with your feet on the dashboard of a moving vehicle:
- Seat belt injuries. Safety belts in passenger vehicles are designed to restrain a body that is sitting upright in the seat. When you are reclining with your feet up, the seat belt cannot restrain your body properly. In the event of a crash you could slide right out of the seat belt and through the front windshield like a projectile.
- Airbag injuries. Airbags are designed to deploy in the event of a crash, but did you know that they deploy with the force of 200 miles per hour? They are also designed to have the space between the dash and the front of your body to deploy. If your legs are in contact with the dash when the passenger airbag deploys, the thrust of the airbags can send the passengers knees crashing into their own face causing facial fractures, eye injuries and brain injuries.
- Windshield injuries. Even if the vehicle is traveling at relatively low speeds, in the event of a crash, a passenger whose feet are resting on the dash could go through the windshield and end up with broken legs or even amputations.
Riding with feet on the dash is not a safe habit. As a driver, you can make sure that your passengers keep their feet on the floor and that they fasten their seat belts. If you know of anyone who has sustained a serious injury in a car crash that was caused by another driver’s negligence, the Delaware auto accident attorneys at Silverman, McDonald & Friedman know what it takes to obtain justice in the form of fair compensation for their injuries for our clients.
If you have been seriously hurt in an auto accident, and you have lots of questions about what to do next, the car accident lawyers at Silverman, McDonald & Friedman are ready to work with you. We are here to fight on your behalf to get the compensation you need as you recover from a serious injury. At the Delaware law offices of Silverman, McDonald & Friedman, our experienced auto accident attorneys serve clients in Newark, Seaford, Wilmington and throughout the state. Please call us today at 302.414.5553 or fill out our quick contact form to schedule a free consultation to discuss your injury case today.
Attorney Jeffrey S. Friedman joined Silverman, McDonald & Friedman in 2001. He graduated from Widener University School of Law, and is admitted to practice law in Delaware and Pennsylvania, and in several Federal Circuit courts. He areas of concentration include auto accident and workers’ compensation cases. Read more about Attorney Friedman here.