Should you replace your car seat after a car accident?
Should you replace your car seat after a car accident?
If you were recently involved in a car accident and have a car seat in your vehicle, you could be asking if you should replace the car seat or not. Even if the car seat appears to be in good condition, there could be unseen damage that could cause the seat from properly functioning in the future. Car seats can reduce fatal injuries by 71 percent for infants and 54 percent for toddlers ages one to four proving how valuable they are when they work.
There are no laws that require a parent to change out the car seat after an accident. Parents must use good discretion on whether or not the seat should be replaced. The National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration gives a few questions to answer which can help you in deciding whether you should replace the car seat or not.
If you can answer YES to ALL five questions than NHTSA reports that it is okay to keep using your car seat.
- Could you drive away from the accident?
- Was the door nearest the car seat undamaged?
- Were all of the occupants of the vehicle uninjured?
- Did the air-bags remain un-deployed?
- Is there no visible damage to the car seat?
If you answer NO to any of the questions, you should highly consider replacing your car seat. If you do discover that your car seat should be replaced, contact your insurance company to see if they can cover the cost of a new one. You can send them a copy of your car seat manual which shows that the seat should be replaced after an accident.
If you or a loved one were injured due to a car accident or defective product, contact our office for a free consultation today – 770-427-5588.
Source: NHTSA