FAQs

Are Car Seats Safe Enough For Children?

The February 2014 JereBeasley Report covered a hot topic – whether or not car seats are safe and the regulations and safety standards that have been proposed. We would like to highlight this article from the report as we feel this is a topic that many of our readers need to know about for the safety of their children, grandchildren, and more!

NHTSA Proposes Safety Standards for Car Seats

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration proposed a regulation that would require manufacturers of car seats to provide proof that the car seats protect children when used during side-impact crashes and not just front-impact crashes. The NHTSA has created a side-impact car seat test in order to see whether or not the products prevent the child from suffering serious injury by reducing the force that the child’s head and chest receive in a collision.

The proposed rule regarding children’s car seats by the NHTSA would apply to all car seats that are sold in the United States for children up to 40 pounds. If this regulation is approved, the car seat manufacturers would have a period of three years to ensure that their products meet the safety standard.

The Acting Administrator of the NHTSA, David Friedman said, “Car seats are an essential tool for keeping young children safe in vehicles and have a proven track record of saving lives. Today we continue to build on our extensive child seat safety program by adding side-impact crash protection for the first time.”

If the improved safety standards for child car seats is approve, it is estimated that they could prevent five deaths and 64 injuries every year. We are referring to the lives of young children, and we believe that even if the regulation only saved one life, it would be well worth it!

Manufacturers Already Claiming Side-Impact Protection

At this time there are already many manufacturers who claim that their seats provide side-impact protection, but the problem with this is that they may be measuring the performance in different ways. This does not enable the consumer to know which performance test is the best, leading to purchasing without fully understanding the safety your child is receiving.

Ami Gadhia, Consumers Union Senior Policy Counsel, was quoted in a statement regarding the different performance testing procedures. Gadhia explained, “As consumers, we don’t know what type of testing or features go into the manufacturers’ claims. With this new standardized test, consumers will have a clear indication of how the car seat performed in side-impact tests.”

Our law office hopes that this regulation is approved and we see a decrease in the number of child injuries related to vehicle accidents.

Our car accident lawyers have seen the result of such accidents first hand. To be able to prevent young children from injury is a great thing, and we are looking forward to the improvements that are to come.

If your child was injured in a vehicle accident and you have questions about the options you have, call our child accident lawyers at 800.637.8170. We will walk you through the legal process related to child injuries and car accidents, allowing you to better understand your options and make the best decision for your child’s health and future.