PRESS RELEASE

NHTSA Advises: 
Child Safety Seats
Can Be Reused 
after a Minor Crash

Following a review of research on child safety seat performance, the U S Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revised its advice to parents and caregivers to allow reuse of child safety seats following a minor crash.  This policy change was made to ensure that parents and caregivers continue to correctly restrain their child following a minor crash and to reduce the financial burden of unnecessary child safety seat replacement. 

In recent years, Manufactures have included notices in owner’s manuals which recommend the CRS be replaced in the event the vehicle in which it was installed is involved in a collision.  These recommendations make no reference to any minimum severity threshold that would warrant replacement.  Current research indicates that child safety seats are very robust and continue to provide high levels of protection even after being involved in a minor crash.  A minor crash is one in which all of the following apply:

1.  A visual inspection of the child safety seat, including inspection under any easily removable seat padding, does not reveal any cracks or deformation that might have been caused by the crash; 

2. The vehicle in which the child safety seat was installed was capable of being driven from the scene of the crash;

3. The vehicle door nearest the child safety seat was undamaged;

4. There were no injuries to any of the vehicle occupants; and

5. The air bags did not deploy. 

NHTSA continues to recommend that parents and caregivers check with the child seat manufacturers with regard to performance, operation and installation of their child restraint.  However, NHTSA is concerned that advising replacement of a child safety seat after a minor crash creates a financial burden on some parents and could lead to parents or caregivers using no restraint system while seeking a replacement. 

For more information on child safety seats visit www.nhtsa.com.

ESS RELEASE

NHTSA Advises: 
Child Safety Seats
Can Be Reused 
after a Minor Crash

Following a review of research on child safety seat performance, the U S Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) revised its advice to parents and caregivers to allow reuse of child safety seats following a minor crash.  This policy change was made to ensure that parents and caregivers continue to correctly restrain their child following a minor crash and to reduce the financial burden of unnecessary child safety seat replacement. 

In recent years, Manufactures have included notices in owner’s manuals which recommend the CRS be replaced in the event the vehicle in which it was installed is involved in a collision.  These recommendations make no reference to any minimum severity threshold that would warrant replacement.  Current research indicates that child safety seats are very robust and continue to provide high levels of protection even after being involved in a minor crash.  A minor crash is one in which all of the following apply:

1.  A visual inspection of the child safety seat, including inspection under any easily removable seat padding, does not reveal any cracks or deformation that might have been caused by the crash; 

2. The vehicle in which the child safety seat was installed was capable of being driven from the scene of the crash;

3. The vehicle door nearest the child safety seat was undamaged;

4. There were no injuries to any of the vehicle occupants; and

5. The air bags did not deploy. 

NHTSA continues to recommend that parents and caregivers check with the child seat manufacturers with regard to performance, operation and installation of their child restraint.  However, NHTSA is concerned that advising replacement of a child safety seat after a minor crash creates a financial burden on some parents and could lead to parents or caregivers using no restraint system while seeking a replacement. 

For more information on child safety seats visit www.nhtsa.com.