How many minor crashes?

melniemi · Feb 26, 2008

Britax says that in minor crashes that meet their criteria, you don't need to replace the seats. But just how many minor crashes?

I *might* be comfortable still using my seats from my crash, but I am replacing them. I know if I did continue to use them and got in another minor crash, I would definitely replace them.

Does Britax say how many minor crashes a seat remains safe through?

Thanks

azgirl71 · Feb 26, 2008

That is a good question. I know Britax does extra testing and that would be the only reason I would consider using a seat after 1 minor crash depending on the circumstances. I would demand they be replaced if I were in a 2nd minor crash.

May be worth a call to Britax. I can't do it. I am leaving in a little while.

melniemi · Feb 26, 2008

I called Britax to ask. He didn't know but went and asked. He said that there is no set number of crashes that a restraint can safely be used after and that after any crash it is up to the parent's discretion of whether or not to replace.

So I said "So you don't really have an answer for me" and he said "I guess not really" and said that they go by the same guidelines as the national something - I forget.

So anyway, they didn't know how many minor crashes a seat can be through and still be safe. I don't think they should be reused after any, but that is me.

azgirl71 · Feb 26, 2008

Well, they were not much help. I agree with you that as a parent I would choose not to use it at all after a crash.

wildeyes · Feb 26, 2008

i would think that since carseats are made to withstand one major crash, that one minor crash, and replace after the second *minor* crash. but i would replace it after the first anyway, as there is no way of knowing if the second crash will be a big one or a little one.

melniemi · Feb 26, 2008

my thoughts exactly

dhardawa · Feb 26, 2008

The NTHSA guidelines were based on 50 crashes at 9 mph. Just for the record, the same crash at 30 mph resulted in "many" damaged seats, but they still held up in a second crash. The recommendation was to never try the 30 mph scenario in real life though. No side impact, rear impact, or roll over crash testing was done for these recommendations.

melniemi · Feb 26, 2008

Thanks Dana! Really glad I'm replacing my seats now. My crash was at about 40 mph - granted I hit a deer that "gave" but my chest was so sore from hitting the seatbelt I'm sure my seats have some stress too.

jen_nah · Feb 26, 2008

I am okay with reusing after 1 minor crash but after a 2nd I would replace period. We currently are using a MA (this one expires in less then a year and will be replaced most likely with the Frontier) & Regent after a minor crash. Dh was rearended and no damage to his vehicle occured. If he was in another minor crash I would require it to be replaced period.

melniemi · Feb 26, 2008

jen_nah said:
I am okay with reusing after 1 minor crash but after a 2nd I would replace period. We currently are using a MA (this one expires in less then a year and will be replaced most likely with the Frontier) & Regent after a minor crash. Dh was rearended and no damage to his vehicle occured. If he was in another minor crash I would require it to be replaced period.

Do you worry that your seats were compromised enough that if the next crash isn't minor and is major that your seats won't perform as they are supposed to? That is my biggest thing. If I knew my next crash would be without the kids in their seats or just another deer, I wouldn't worry so much about replacing them. I have 1.5 years on one seat, 2.5 on another, but 5y 10 m left on the other. The booster is easy to replace. I don't know

jen_nah · Feb 26, 2008

melniemi said:
Do you worry that your seats were compromised enough that if the next crash isn't minor and is major that your seats won't perform as they are supposed to? That is my biggest thing. If I knew my next crash would be without the kids in their seats or just another deer, I wouldn't worry so much about replacing them. I have 1.5 years on one seat, 2.5 on another, but 5y 10 m left on the other. The booster is easy to replace. I don't know

Our's was dh at a complete stop. The vehicle behind him at a complete stop but the vehicle behind the that one couldn't get slowed down and rear ended the vehicle behind dh which shoved her into dh. He said the impact was less then 10 mph as she was close on dh bumper (she almost didn't get her car stopped behind dh). I did ask him if his seatbelt locked up and he said no.

I am not to worried about it. I did contact Sarah Tilton (Britax Engineer) to get her recommendation and she said no need to replace it. Our issue is the Regent in dh truck only installs via LBP so we need this Regent.

In your case I would replace the seats. Everything you stated would lead me to believe it was a lot more then a minor crash. While not a major crash but more severe then a minor.

melniemi · Feb 26, 2008

Thanks! Sometimes I feel like I am going overboard but I don't want to take that chance! And my seatbelts did lock. My child said if felt like she was going to fly out of her seat. Granted she is my drama queen, but, yeah, they need to be replaced. Still haven't gotten the insurance check - starting to worry a bit.

singingpond · Feb 27, 2008

azgirl71 said:
That is a good question. I know Britax does extra testing and that would be the only reason I would consider using a seat after 1 minor crash depending on the circumstances. I would demand they be replaced if I were in a 2nd minor crash.

May be worth a call to Britax. I can't do it. I am leaving in a little while.

Scientifically, I doubt there is any basis for assuming that 2 minor crashes somehow 'equal' one major crash. It would sort of be like saying that a person jumping off a 3' high wall 10 times does similar damage to that same person jumping off a roof once -- it just ain't so. I think Dana posted that the NHTSA criteria are based on 50 crashes at 9mph -- I assume that means 50 successive crashes of the same seat?? Also, I know Julie (joolsplus3) posted in a recent thread about one of the crash test engineers re-using the same seat many times in 30mph test crashes (as a calibration standard, if I understood correctly), and that the seat continued to perform the same in test after test.

As a parent, I can understand replacing seats even after a fairly minor crash, just because of that nagging element of uncertainty. However, I doubt there is any scientific basis for replacing after one, or two, or five, or whatever minor crashes -- assuming the crashes really are minor, and that there is no visible damage to the seat. I realize those can both be hard things to judge.

Katrin

azgirl71 · Feb 27, 2008

singingpond said:
Scientifically, I doubt there is any basis for assuming that 2 minor crashes somehow 'equal' one major crash. It would sort of be like saying that a person jumping off a 3' high wall 10 times does similar damage to that same person jumping off a roof once -- it just ain't so. I think Dana posted that the NHTSA criteria are based on 50 crashes at 9mph -- I assume that means 50 successive crashes of the same seat?? Also, I know Julie (joolsplus3) posted in a recent thread about one of the crash test engineers re-using the same seat many times in 30mph test crashes (as a calibration standard, if I understood correctly), and that the seat continued to perform the same in test after test.

As a parent, I can understand replacing seats even after a fairly minor crash, just because of that nagging element of uncertainty. However, I doubt there is any scientific basis for replacing after one, or two, or five, or whatever minor crashes -- assuming the crashes really are minor, and that there is no visible damage to the seat. I realize those can both be hard things to judge.

Katrin

Very well could be true that th seat may be good for 50 minor crashes.
That was my parent point of view that I would do for my own child. I would not use a seat that had been in 2 minor crashes even if it meant I had to pay for a new seat myself. Again that is how I feel about it.

melniemi · Feb 27, 2008

dhardawa said:
The NTHSA guidelines were based on 50 crashes at 9 mph. Just for the record, the same crash at 30 mph resulted in "many" damaged seats, but they still held up in a second crash. The recommendation was to never try the 30 mph scenario in real life though. No side impact, rear impact, or roll over crash testing was done for these recommendations.

I read this as 50 separate crashes at 9 mph resulting in seats that still performed as needed in a 2nd crash. In the 30mph tests, the seats did not all perform as needed in a 2nd crash. Maybe I misinterpreted it, but it is how I saw it.

How many minor crashes?

melniemi

New member

azgirl71

CPST Instructor

melniemi

New member

azgirl71

CPST Instructor

wildeyes

New member

melniemi

New member

dhardawa

Active member

melniemi

New member

jen_nah

CPST Instructor

melniemi

New member

jen_nah

CPST Instructor

melniemi

New member

singingpond

New member

azgirl71

CPST Instructor

melniemi

New member

Car-Seat.Org Facebook Group

Sponsors

Forum statistics