What would you do with seats involved in a "minor" accident

wendy1221 · Aug 25, 2008

To clarify minor, it met all of the NHTSA and Britax requirements. It was unclear at the time of the accident, because the car could no be driven. But it was all body damage, airbags did not deploy, no one was even slightly hurt. The only reason the car was not drivable was b/c it had been hit above the front tire, damaging the plastic electrical box directly above the tire and knocking the wheel alignment out. An unbuckled Parkway in the back slid over a few inches, but didn't even topple over (anyone who has one knows what I mean) let alone go flying.

Anyway, I called Britax to double check and they said, no reason to replace the seats, it sounds like a pretty minor accident, just body damage, which is easy to do on newer cars, they just crumple. But insurance told us to go ahead and replace the seats when we asked and we got them and used them in the rental. Got our van back the day before yesterday.

So what would you do with the old seats? The only one I'm really torn over is the infant seat. I don't like the fit in the new seat. I think the fit will be much better in it when she's bigger, which is good since the old one only goes to 22lbs. Dh wants to use the old one until she gets bigger and then switch to the new one. I think it's a good plan. Honestly, I think my issue is not that I have any doubt the seats are safe. I feel that they are fine. They can't have taken much force if the Parkway didn't even fall over, kwim? I think I feel guilty for considering using seats when insurance is sending us money to replace them.

beeman · Aug 25, 2008

If it was serious enough that you didn't have to argue with insurance, I feel that would be a substantial enough accident to replace. If your insurance finds out that the seats went back into service, along with the replacements, you may have difficulty convincing them to replace them in a more serious crash :twocents: .

wendy1221 · Aug 25, 2008

beeman said:
If it was serious enough that you didn't have to argue with insurance, I feel that would be a substantial enough accident to replace. If your insurance finds out that the seats went back into service, along with the replacements, you may have difficulty convincing them to replace them in a more serious crash :twocents: .

That's another thing I'm worried about. Our insurance company gave us the go ahead to replace the seats before any damage was assessed. The accident happened on a Thurs, so the assessor didn't have anything done until Monday, by then I'd had the new seats ordered and we had our rental van. I think since dh needed a tow truck (b/c of the electrical box, I found out later) they assumed it wasn't a minor crash--and so did I until I found out more. I'm worried the other person's insurance co will give us a hard time once we give them the receipts for $900 in seats when the accident didn't require it, which none of us realized until the damage was assessed (I didn't see the damage. My dh had never seen an accident up close before, let alone been in one, so he thought it was horrible, even though he barely got jolted.

)

emandbri · Aug 25, 2008

I would still use them. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but my understanding is that they came up with the new guidlines after testing seats that were in crashes and saw how they performed when used again.

abacus2 · Aug 25, 2008

Technically, if the car wasn't drivable, it doesn't meet the requirements; especially since the car was not drivable because of damage from the accident. I wouldn't be too worried about the Parkway, but I'd be more concerned about the infant seat since it has many more potential points of unseen damage. BTW, why not exchange the new infant seat for something you like better?

BookMama · Aug 25, 2008

abacus2 said:
Technically, if the car wasn't drivable, it doesn't meet the requirements; especially since the car was not drivable because of damage from the accident.

:yeahthat:

The first item in the NHTSA crash criteria is "The vehicle was able to be driven away from the crash site."

tl01 · Aug 25, 2008

If the insurance company is replacing the seats then I don't think it is right to use the old seats. If they are being replaced then I would destroy them... I would destroy them even if insurance wasn't paying for them anyway.. but that is just me. I would keep the covers and re-use or sell though.

Jewels · Aug 25, 2008

Since the car is not drivable then the collision really does not meet all the criteria to continue using the seats. Britax has set guidelines for when their seats may be used after a collision but that is for Britax seats not for any other seats. Not sure if your infant seat is a Britax or not but if it isn't then it needs to be replaced after ANY accident. Check here to see the crashesd carseat replacement and insurance info.

IMO if insurance replaced your seats then you should destroy them or give them to a tech for training purposes. If you felt fine using your seats then you shouldn't have let insurance replace them and then continue to use. I feel that is abusing the system :twocents:

What infant seat do you feel your baby doesn't fit in all that well?

vonfirmath · Aug 25, 2008

tl01 said:
If the insurance company is replacing the seats then I don't think it is right to use the old seats. If they are being replaced then I would destroy them...

That.
If insurance is replacing them, don't keep the old ones. That could even be seen as insurance fraud by the company.

thepeach80 · Aug 25, 2008

We tossed the old ones and kept the covers as spares.

wendy1221 · Aug 25, 2008

I already knew what I was planning to do, just wondering what other people thought. We have no use for spare seats. We only have 1 vehicle, and are 2 states away from any relatives.

I was going to sell the Regent cover and destroy the seat, which I already did. It sold in less than 5 min (blue bouquet.) I also knew I was going to toss the Boulevard, and keep the cover as a spare for our other one that was in a closet at the time of the crash (Mosaic, which is MY favorite, not selling that one.

) The Parkway, I feel weird about. Apparently, it would not have needed to be replaced even if the accident had been a little more severe (especially since it wasn't buckled in and didn't fly around or even bump anything.) I dind't know that when I ordered the new seats. I ordered them before I knew the details of the accident, damage, and talked to Britax. We got ds a Monterey, which we all like more. I feel weird throwing away a booster that's useable according to pretty much everyone's standards. Maybe I should donate it? Didn't think to put that option on the poll.

After getting the baby's SS1 installed in my van w/ a much better install than we had been able to get in the rental, I feel better about using it full time from now on. That, and having someone point out a few things in the thread on newborns in safeseats.

So even though I like the Companion a little bit more for newborns, the ss1 is fine. I'll probably just destroy the whole seat. I doubt anyone is going to want a Windowpane cover. LOL. I'll list it ffs, and see.

Jewels · Aug 25, 2008

wendy1221 said:
The Parkway, I feel weird about. Apparently, it would not have needed to be replaced even if the accident had been a little more severe (especially since it wasn't buckled in and didn't fly around or even bump anything.) I dind't know that when I ordered the new seats. I ordered them before I knew the details of the accident, damage, and talked to Britax. We got ds a Monterey, which we all like more. I feel weird throwing away a booster that's useable according to pretty much everyone's standards. Maybe I should donate it? Didn't think to put that option on the poll.

Although it is still a seat that was involved in a collision where the vehicle was not drivable.
It really isn't any different then the other seats that you had and destroyed after the collision.
They all had the same amount of impact and this seat wasn't buckled in so it moved more in the collision then the other seats that were buckled in that you destroyed.

If it isn't good enough for your children to use (which by replacing your seats it would appear this way) then there is no way you should be donating it for someone else to use for their children.

Splash · Aug 25, 2008

I would probably have used all of them if need be. The "driven away" can vary so widely... if a car got a flat tire, it cannot be driven away. Does that make it a major accident? What you are talking about is not major. The "driving away" is so subjective. As is the cost of damage. Some parts are more expensive than others, some shops are more expensive than others...

The only objective rules are the airbags deploying, the side of the vehicle where the seat was, and anybody injured (which is also a bit subjective, but not so much).

I would not get rid of the PW. I would not have ditched the other seats either, though.

Yoshi · Aug 25, 2008

Splash said:
I would not get rid of the PW. I would not have ditched the other seats either, though.

I agree with Splash. FWIW, when I was rear-ended 2 weeks ago, DD was riding in a Compass booster. I didn't even bother with thinking about replacing it- we were all fine, no airbags, no damage except to my rear bumper (opposite side of DD) and we drove away after. I didn't give it a second thought and I am comfortable with that. (would feel the same if it had been the PW)

bubbaray · Aug 25, 2008

I wasn't clear on option #1 -- did you mean trash only the old seats and keep "newer" seats, or was that with respect to the covers only?

I would get rid of all seats, but keep all the covers as spares.

wendy1221 · Aug 25, 2008

Jewels said:
Although it is still a seat that was involved in a collision where the vehicle was not drivable.
It really isn't any different then the other seats that you had and destroyed after the collision.
They all had the same amount of impact and this seat wasn't buckled in so it moved more in the collision then the other seats that were buckled in that you destroyed.

That's not what I was told by Britax.

thepeach80 · Aug 26, 2008

wendy1221 said:
That's not what I was told by Britax.

Then Britax needs to get clear on their own reccomendations. By their standards (NHTSA standards), if your car cannot be driven away (they do not give options as to why it can't be driven away), then the seat is trash. If you ordered a new one, you should destroy this on principle I suppose.

Jewels · Aug 26, 2008

yoshiandluke said:
I agree with Splash. FWIW, when I was rear-ended 2 weeks ago, DD was riding in a Compass booster. I didn't even bother with thinking about replacing it- we were all fine, no airbags, no damage except to my rear bumper (opposite side of DD) and we drove away after. I didn't give it a second thought and I am comfortable with that. (would feel the same if it had been the PW)

This is a parental decision. As a tech I won't tell or advice people to go against the manufacturers recommendation. If a parent chooses to continue to use that seat then that is their decision but why replace it if you don't feel it is good enough for you but then donate for someone who can't afford one? What makes the seat then good enough for them and not you?

I felt bad having to destroy and replace a MA after my FIL hit a deer. It didn't seem that the collision was all that bad but the air bags went off, the vehicle wasn't drivable and it was written off. Even through all this I felt that the seat didn't have all that much impact but I wasn't willing to risk it.

steph · Aug 26, 2008

I was in a very minor collision where someone rear ended me - the damage to my car was less than $200 and I met NHTSA criteria for keeping the seat. However, the other person's insurance company didn't blink and eye and just asked me how much my seat was (it's state law in California to replace any occupied child restraint seat in any type of accident - minor or major).

So I did, better safe IMO. Technically I could have kept the old seat but that wouldn't have been right. I destroyed it but kept the cover as a spare.

So I voted destroy all seats and get new ones but keep covers.

scoutingbear · Aug 26, 2008

I wouldn't use the seats, but...my dh was rear ended a couple weeks ago and we have been fighting ins to replace (we are in CA but the seats were not occupied). They finally agreed to do so, but I don't think there is anything wrong with the old ones. I feel so bad destroying the seats. I mean, they were only a month in use! Poor little baby seats. :crying:

What would you do with seats involved in a "minor" accident

What would you do with the seats?

destroy all old seats, use covers we can use as spares, sell/give away the others.

use the infant seat until she gets bigger, keep the others as spares

keep all of the sseats as spares, don't use any regularly

other

you're crazy for even considering using seats that were involved in even a minor collision

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