Q: I saw a news report this week that said only two infant car seats passed crash tests. I already bought a car seat for my baby who is due to arrive in March. It's not one of the car seats that was mentioned on the news. Should I buy a different one?
A: Many parents are concerned about Consumer Reports latest recommendations on infant car seats. As a certified child passenger safety technician, I'd like to take this opportunity to remind parents that all infant car seats sold in the U.S. do meet the current safety standards set by NHTSA, including the crash test standards. The latest news from Consumer Reports concerns only the independent crash tests performed by Consumer Reports. Because the company does not make public their crash testing methods, it's difficult for most car seat safety experts to take the latest report as anything but one organization's opinion. Furthermore, the Consumer Reports crash tests that were used to create this recommendation are not the same as U.S. government standard crash tests, as was reported in several recent news articles. Several child safety organizations, including Safe Kids Worldwide, are now calling for Consumer Reports to release their crash test data and methodology.
What does this mean for you and your baby's car seat? Not much, if you follow manufacturer's instructions and use the car seat properly each time you and baby are in the car. Also be sure that your baby's car seat is less than 6 years old and has never been in a crash. Even if you don't normally read product instruction books, read the one that came with your car seat. Four out of five car seats are used incorrectly, so many injuries could be prevented just by reducing user error. If you choose a car seat that fits your baby and your vehicle, and you use it properly every time, you are giving your baby the safest ride possible.
I encourage parents who have questions about their infant car seats to contact their local Safe Kids chapter or go to a NHTSA-approved car seat inspection station to learn more about car seat safety. An individual consultation based on your baby and your vehicle will tell you more about what is safest for your baby than the latest from Consumer Reports. For a list of infant car seats that meet federal safety standards and receive consistent ease-of-use reports from parents and car seat safety experts, please see Top 8 Infant Car Seats.
A: Many parents are concerned about Consumer Reports latest recommendations on infant car seats. As a certified child passenger safety technician, I'd like to take this opportunity to remind parents that all infant car seats sold in the U.S. do meet the current safety standards set by NHTSA, including the crash test standards. The latest news from Consumer Reports concerns only the independent crash tests performed by Consumer Reports. Because the company does not make public their crash testing methods, it's difficult for most car seat safety experts to take the latest report as anything but one organization's opinion. Furthermore, the Consumer Reports crash tests that were used to create this recommendation are not the same as U.S. government standard crash tests, as was reported in several recent news articles. Several child safety organizations, including Safe Kids Worldwide, are now calling for Consumer Reports to release their crash test data and methodology.
What does this mean for you and your baby's car seat? Not much, if you follow manufacturer's instructions and use the car seat properly each time you and baby are in the car. Also be sure that your baby's car seat is less than 6 years old and has never been in a crash. Even if you don't normally read product instruction books, read the one that came with your car seat. Four out of five car seats are used incorrectly, so many injuries could be prevented just by reducing user error. If you choose a car seat that fits your baby and your vehicle, and you use it properly every time, you are giving your baby the safest ride possible.
I encourage parents who have questions about their infant car seats to contact their local Safe Kids chapter or go to a NHTSA-approved car seat inspection station to learn more about car seat safety. An individual consultation based on your baby and your vehicle will tell you more about what is safest for your baby than the latest from Consumer Reports. For a list of infant car seats that meet federal safety standards and receive consistent ease-of-use reports from parents and car seat safety experts, please see Top 8 Infant Car Seats.
The Consumer Report was retracted and they revised it to say that the car seats were, in fact, safe. Please check the website for details.