Car Seat Question

I know that all car seats are supposed to meet the same safety requirements, but are all seats truly made the same. If I was in a catastrophic car accident, I know I would want to be in some cars rather than others. Are certain seats,... assuming they are all used correctly..., safer? Would certain seats fail earlier than others?

You know, i dont think that any seat is "safer" than another, especially when being used properly. they all pass the same standards, I am sure that some pass better than others, but they all still pass. The reason Britax's are so loved is because of their ease of use, and comfy covers...A seat that is difficult to install is more likely to be installed improperly...There are seats with features like EPP/EPS foam which helps absorb shock, and TSIP, for superior side impact protection. But honestly, when it comes down to it, I dont think that we can say any seat is "safer" than another.:twocents:

Like you pointed out with cars, I definitely believe some seats are safer than others. Minimum requirements are just that, minimum. A doctor who graduates med school with a D average is still a doctor.
I believe that a Britax seat is much safer than a Dorel seat. That doesn't mean Dorel is UNsafe or that I would not use one in an emergency, but I would not make hte conscious choice to use one when there are other alternatives. In most crashes, I don't think it makes a whole lot of difference, but in a major crash it very well could. Carseats are so cheap in comparison, I'd rather buy the best one I can and know that I didn't settle for minimum requirements. My kid could still be hurt or killed in a crash, but I think I would have less mommy guilt if he died in a Boulevard than if he died in a Scenera.

Splash said:

Like you pointed out with cars, I definitely believe some seats are safer than others. Minimum requirements are just that, minimum. A doctor who graduates med school with a D average is still a doctor.
I believe that a Britax seat is much safer than a Dorel seat. That doesn't mean Dorel is UNsafe or that I would not use one in an emergency, but I would not make hte conscious choice to use one when there are other alternatives. In most crashes, I don't think it makes a whole lot of difference, but in a major crash it very well could. Carseats are so cheap in comparison, I'd rather buy the best one I can and know that I didn't settle for minimum requirements. My kid could still be hurt or killed in a crash, but I think I would have less mommy guilt if he died in a Boulevard than if he died in a Scenera.

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ITA with ya!

Splash said:

Like you pointed out with cars, I definitely believe some seats are safer than others. Minimum requirements are just that, minimum. A doctor who graduates med school with a D average is still a doctor.
I believe that a Britax seat is much safer than a Dorel seat. That doesn't mean Dorel is UNsafe or that I would not use one in an emergency, but I would not make hte conscious choice to use one when there are other alternatives. In most crashes, I don't think it makes a whole lot of difference, but in a major crash it very well could. Carseats are so cheap in comparison, I'd rather buy the best one I can and know that I didn't settle for minimum requirements.

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I agree. All seats pass the same test so all seats on the market I would consider to be safe but I would consider the Radian and Britax seat (all I have had experience with, we don't have Recaro) to be better seats. This isn't saying I wouldn't use other seats, I had a Graco Comfortsport, I got rock solid installs (so no issues there) had no problems using the seat. The only thing is that my DS outgrew the seat at just over 2yrs otherwise I would still be using it. You pay more for some of the safety features like the steal alloy in the Radian, the Britax MA has a bar going around the seat (which I was told helped in side impact so the seat doesn't twist). I know that all seats could fail. I also think that Britax seats are a lot more money then say Cosco/Dorel and Graco, that there has to be something different about the seats then just the built in lock off's and that they are easier to use!? But this is just my opinion!

The doctor who graduated last in his class is still a doctor, but we don't have a grading system for car seats in this country - either they pass or they don't. We have no way of knowing which seats did better on crash tests, and the assumption that one seat is better than another is just an assumption.

Yes, I think some seats probably do a better job of protecting a child in a crash than others. The problem is, I have no idea which ones they are. And until I win the lottery and buy my own test sled, I'm not going to know. And even if I could run unlimited crash tests and determine which seat I thought was safest, the safest seat could change depending on the circumstances of the crash.

The fact is, we don't KNOW whether any seat is safer than any other. Some have features which certainly seem like they would enchance safety, like EPS foam or wings that cradle the head. Some have stiffer shells than others. But we don't really know what that means in terms of protection in real world crashes. Who knows - maybe that "flimsy" shell could turn out to be an advantage in some crashes because of its lighter weight and flexibility. Or maybe there's no difference at all.

My point is, we can't answer your question. That is why you always hear the answer "The safest seat is one that fits your child, fits your car, fits your budget, and that you will use corerctly every time." We can tell you which seats we like better. We can tell you which seats have features that may improve safety. We can tell you which seats best meet your particular needs. But no one can tell you with any certainty which seat is the safest.

Splash said:

Like you pointed out with cars, I definitely believe some seats are safer than others. Minimum requirements are just that, minimum. A doctor who graduates med school with a D average is still a doctor.

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skaterbabscpst said:

The doctor who graduated last in his class is still a doctor, but we don't have a grading system for car seats in this country - either they pass or they don't. We have no way of knowing which seats did better on crash tests, and the assumption that one seat is better than another is just an assumption.

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i agree with both of these statements... firstly, that there probably ARE differences in *intrinsic* safety of different seats (that is, aside from installation issues... assuming all seats are installed properly and fit car and child properly, i do believe there are differences in how well different seats will perform). and secondly, as skaterbabs points out, we just don't know which ones do better than others... it may or may not be correlated with how we *perceive* a seat to be... more expensive seats may or may not be safer. our instinct tells us that a company that puts a lot of money into research and patents innovative ideas and *feels* solid must be better, but that doesn't mean the seat actually performs better. i personally feel my child is safer in her recaro YS than in a cosco APEX, but in real life, i could be totally wrong. who knows... if they published *actual* crash force values on the crash test dummies like they do in some european countries, we as consumers could get a better idea of how well a particular seat performs, and make a more educated consumer choice. but since in the US it is only pass/fail, we have to take it on faith that any seat we buy will be as safe as the next.

Splash said:

Minimum requirements are just that, minimum. A doctor who graduates med school with a D average is still a doctor.

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Just pointing out that doctors *do* have to pass medical board exams in order to be licensed (and hence, to practice legally) Graduating from medical school is not sufficient for anything more than an M.D. behind the name. Of course someone can pass the boards and be a mediocre doctor, so the point still holds.

Whoops--just realized that's not necessarily true. I guess it depends on the speciality and the state.