Why registering your child’s car seat is important
2014 saw over six million car seat recalls.
If parents knew their child’s car seat was defective, most wouldn’t hesitate to replace it.
But if that’s the case, why did fewer than half of the six million recalled car seats in 2014 get repaired?
A recent study by Safe Kids Worldwide, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting kids from non-intentional injuries, provides an answer, as Forbes reports. It’s not that the parents “didn’t care,’’ it’s that they were unaware the recall was even taking place.
Safe Kids Worldwide found that though 80 percent of parents said car seat registration is important, only 42 percent returned their car seat’s registration card, making it difficult for manufacturers to contacts the other 58 percent in the event of a recall.
Story continues after gallery.
Family friendly cars, according to car-finding site CarGurus:
[bdc-gallery id=”1420369″]
“The single best way for parents to learn about a recall is to register their car seat with the manufacturer,’’ said Kate Carr, president and CEO of Safe Kids Worldwide at a press conference last week. “Unfortunately, this important first step doesn’t happen nearly enough.’’
Once parents knew the purpose of the registration card was to notify owners of a recall, 97 percent of parents Safe Kids Worldwide surveyed said the card was important.
When a recall occurs, manufacturers notify parents directly using information on the registration cards and fix or replace the car seats as necessary. If you never mailed the registration card that came with your car seat, don’t panic. Parents can register their child’s car seat any time online at www.safecar.gov/parents using the model number and date of manufacture found on the car seat label.
Just make sure you’re also installing your car seat correctly. A report from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) this year found that very few cars have easy-to-use child restraint systems. Check out the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for tips about finding the right car seat for you vehicle and best practices when installing.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com