The US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released a study in 2008 showing that seven out of 10 child seats were either the wrong size or not properly installed, thus reducing the effectiveness of this safety equipment in the event of a car crash.
To address this serious safety problem, the federal government has issued a new rating system that will show if a certain brand is easy to install or not.
In addition, safety regulators have also created websites that will teach parents on how to properly install a child safety seat.
Importance of Children’s Car Seat
In a recent study, infants and toddlers in a properly-installed restraint system in cars will reduce their chances of sustaining fatal injuries by 71 percent and 54 percent, respectively.
On the other hand, this safety equipment can significantly reduce fatal injuries in light trucks by 58 percent among infants and 59 percent among toddlers.
To know if a certain brand provides significant protection, parents should consider these four factors when buying a child safety seat: how well it secures a child; proper labeling of the product; vehicle installation features; and easy-to-follow instruction.
Car Seat Product Defect
Even if a car seat is properly installed, this can still pose danger if there is a manufacturing defect or it has been made of substandard material.
For example, the infant car seats made by Dorel Juvenile Group Inc. have been linked to several reported cases of fall injuries among babies.
According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the restraint handle of the seat may accidentally release the babies, causing them to fall from their carriers.
The consumer agency reported 77 incidents of child restraint handle coming loose, injuring three babies who sustained bruises, bumps, and head injury.
Because of the risk of fall injuries, CPSC has recalled more than 447,000 Dorel car seats last December.
Checking the Safety of Car Restraint Systems
To make sure that a car seat provides significant protection to young children, this should be less than 10 years old (but preferably less than five), has never been used in a crash, and there is no crack on the plastic and harness adjuster.
Parents should also visit the CPSC website to know if their child restraint seats are covered by recalls. And by typing the name of a certain brand in the search box, consumers can also check if their car seats have passed the federal standard.
