Why DON'T they do testing, anyway?

AnnaC · Nov 26, 2010

So of course everyone says that we can't know which seats are safER, because we only know that they all meet the minimum requirements. We can't know for sure if headwings make a seat safer, because they don't test that. We can't know if the steel frame of the Radian is safer than the bendy plastic of the Scenera. Etc, etc. All these things we can't know for sure, because there aren't tests that prove it.

Well why don't they do those tests?!?!? I mean, isn't it important? Couldn't it save kids' lives if we could definitively answer which things make car seats safer, and then start incorporating them into more seats, or at least make the information available for parents to be able to make a more educated decision? Is it just too expensive? Too complicated to really be able to find out concrete info???

carseatcoach · Nov 26, 2010

Yes, too complicated. What tests best for a 14# 7mo in a 2006 Ford Taurus may be very different from what tests best for a 30# 2.5yo in a 1999 Dodge Caravan. Absolutely impossible to test every possible combination of kid and car.

An Aurora · Nov 26, 2010

Well, and why would they test them? We all know that the Scenera performs as it should in a crash and protects the occupant, just like the Radian. I could see Sunshine Kids maybe doing the testing, but it would be very expensive, and superfluous since people are already convinced by just their description of "steel reinforced frame".

wendytthomas · Nov 26, 2010

An Aurora said:
Well, and why would they test them? We all know that the Scenera performs as it should in a crash and protects the occupant, just like the Radian. I could see Sunshine Kids maybe doing the testing, but it would be very expensive, and superfluous since people are already convinced by just their description of "steel reinforced frame".

Exactly. Then in order to afford that testing they pass the cost on to the consumer. So you'd get $500 Radians. A few people would buy those, but most wouldn't.

Wendy

Baylor · Nov 27, 2010

I actually like that they don't. We know that every seat on the market is safe. They are all going to protect your children in a crash. That means that any budget can make sure their children are safe.

Defrost · Nov 27, 2010

Carseat manufacturers DO test their seats - they have to, to ensure that once they're on the market they will pass FMVSS standards. Likely they test beyond FMVSS, too. Consumers don't get the results of those tests though.

Kat_Momof3 · Nov 27, 2010

I think to some extent it's common sense that wings would provide more protection in side impacts... but the point is also that not everyone can afford them... and not all children are comfortable and can stay upright sleeping in the ones that have them... which is why it always comes back to... "the one that fits your car, your child, your budget, and will be installed and used correctly every time" being the safest.

Why DON'T they do testing, anyway?

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