You have spent your entire life dreaming of having a child. You spent nine months carrying it. Now it is time to take that bundle of joy home from the hospital. What do you look for when you buy a car seat? Are they all the same? Is there a reason some are double the cost of others? So many questions can come up in the process of purchasing a car seat. But the most important question becomes, which car seat is the safest for my child and will ensure protection in the event of an accident.
The first difference that can be found in car seats is whether it is a rear facing only car seat or a convertible car seat. Convertible car seats are able to convert into front-facing seats. Some parents and agencies suggests that infants only be put in rear facing only car seats and some say that the convertible seats are just as safe. The law does not require one or the other, but does require a convertible seat to be rear-facing until the child reaches a certain age or size.[1]
Whether you pick rear-facing or convertible, you will need to ensure that it properly fits your vehicle. Some vehicles have airbag sensors and do not allow contact with the seat. Some seats are specifically designed to have contact with the back of the front seat. It is important to measure the recline angle to ensure that the seat/vehicle fit does not allow a newborn’s head to fall and block its airway. Some car seats are secured by a seatbelt and some by a locking clip. This mechanism will need to be matched with your vehicle. The most important fit is that between the seat and the child. The Texas Department of Public Safety (TDPS) has published its 2013 Child Passenger Safety National Best Practice Recommendations, which can be found on their website.
Parents, guardians, and drivers of children are responsible for making sure that they are properly secured. “A person commits an offense if the person operates a passenger vehicle, transports a child who is younger than eight years of age, unless the child is taller than four feet, nine inches, and does not keep the child secured during the operation of the vehicle in a child passenger safety seat system according to the instructions of the manufacturer of the safety seat system.” Tex. Trans. Code Ann. § 545.412 (West).
It is also important to continuously check recall lists to make sure your model has not been found to be dangerous. You can check for recalls. The list of recalled seats is surprisingly long. It is far more frequent than one would expect for child seats to be recalled because of both design defects as well as manufacturing defects. The unfortunate truth of it is that a great deal of children are injured and even killed in the process of discovering the defects.
Child seats can vary in price, design, size, features, safety ratings, and so much more. Making sure your child is safe if you are involved in an accident is worth the time it takes to research. “ In 2009, 179,000 children were injured in auto accidents and over 1,000 of them died.”[2] In fact, vehicular accidents are the leading cause for deaths in children in the United States.[3]
Written by:
Lyndsey Mott
Approved by Francisco Guerra IV
Watts Guerra, LLP
4 Dominion Drive, Bldg 3, Suite 100
San Antonio, TX 78257
Phone: (210) 447-0500
© Watts Guerra LLP 2015
[1] http://csftl.org/the-ultimate-car-seat-guide-for-new-parents/
[2] http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811387.pdf
[3] id.
